Definitions And Quotes

Tarun Pradhaan

*This article is mostly for newcomers in the field of spirituality or philosophy but it will also benefit senior seekers and new teachers.*

**What do you mean?** 
It happens very frequently that during their search for knowledge, seekers encounter a teacher whom they like and are immediately mesmerized by him/her and whatever they are saying. But it also happens that these seekers do not completely understand what was said, especially, they do not know the meanings of important words that were used in the lecture. The result is half knowledge or in worst cases their ignorance increases, as they hear more and more teachers.

This can happen in case of books also, especially old scriptures, where the meanings and definitions are sometimes completely omitted or are interpreted by someone else, in some other language. Sometimes the languages are so old that no one knows the correct meanings anymore. The problem worsens when the text is in a form of poetry, song or cryptic symbolic language.

Many seekers just forget it all, give up or start searching for the meanings of words and sentences they heard or read somewhere. Many people will relate to this story.

Obviously, this happens because these seekers do not study systematically. Usually they have not joined any established system, tradition, path or a guru. So the net effect is a waste of time and a mind full of meaningless words.

**How do common people or new seekers deal with definitions and meanings?** 
Usually they get confused and forget about it. Some assume an imaginary meaning of their own liking. Some are convinced that they do not need to know the meanings, *I know it already* - is their favorite line. *Words do not bring knowledge, so any word is ok* - they assume like this.

Some simply ask for a translation into their mother tongue, and are satisfied with whatever they get, usually they have no means to verify if the translated version is correct or not.

Some are more dedicated, they search on the internet, encyclopedias or look it up in a dictionary, where they may find one single clear meaning of something, if they are lucky, but usually they find at least 20 definitions or meanings, many of them do not make any sense when translated to their own language. So usually they hit in the dark and pick any convenient meaning. Some may ask their parents or friends, or rarely their school/college teacher, who provide their own variety, and pretend to be an expert sometimes. *I dont know* - these words are heard less often.

Many times, the first meaning they hear or read becomes the only **real** meaning for them, that becomes a kind of indoctrination, and after that they refuse to improve or correct the definitions or adopt a new one or accept a better interpretation. This close mindedness effectively stops their progress. Of course, once in a while, they get the definitions and meanings exactly right, but that is rare. You will see shortly why that is so rare.

**Why define something?** 
Yes, why cant we all agree to simply use poetry?

It will sound beautiful but will be totally useless. Imagine reading an instruction manual for a device, software or machine in beautiful poetry and unknown mysterious words. Or a physics teacher teaching the students as he/she makes up words from thin air while speaking and keeps changing them everyday.

Proper definition is necessary for effective communication. The definition must be concrete and must point to an actual experience ultimately. From experience, we learn, we know something for sure, else not. We are free to choose a word, a language and a meaning, but once this relation is set up, it must not change till the message is delivered completely.

**Why cant we use a dictionary?** 
Sure you can, but it works only for everyday words. And for many words it can provide multiple meanings. For one meaning, you will find many words. It usually does not provide any information about spiritual or scientific words, especially those that are less popular. In exchange for a word, you get simply another word or a phrase. Dictionaries get outdated quickly and are not reliable, as those who decided to print it may not be an expert on the matter.

Encyclopedias (or sometimes Wikipedia) can do a better job, but still are not the most reliable sources, in many cases you will find false information, contradictions and multiple interpretations. Ultimately, one must dive deeply into the subject and consult many books, do some in-depth research to find the meaning of a single word or one sentence.

Anyway, spiritual knowledge is very specific or personal and the meanings of the words uttered by your guru will never be found in any book or dictionary.

**Meanings and paths** 
Meanings of important words (sometimes called *technical* words) change with paths. A new seeker innocently assumes that every path in the world will use just one word for an idea or an experience, and it will never change. But soon he/she learns that every path has a very specific meaning/definition of words they use. In other paths, the same word will mean something else entirely. Those who switch paths get easily confused when they find that the words they depend so much on are either not present in the new path or mean something else there.

Sometimes, in the same path, the meaning changes with time and place. Or the same thing acquires 20 new names. Many times a seeker fails to check or ask for definitions and hence does not progress, or accumulates more ignorance, assuming some other meaning of these words.

This can happen to very old traditions and paths. As their founders are no more and their best scholars and students have died hundreds of years ago, the meanings are completely distorted. Often people fight over the **real** meaning, or claim to be an authority, or reinterpret the meanings to have their way or to misuse them for any kind of gain.

As the meanings diverge and get fragmented, the paths break up into subpaths, the traditions get divided into factions and cults. You can witness this happening now. A time comes when no one really knows the meanings of those words.

**Meanings and gurus** 
Different gurus and philosophers use different definitions of the same word. Sometimes while being in the same path or same tradition, they use different words to mean something. Sometimes gurus change the meanings depending on the progress of the seeker (it can be their style of teaching). Sometimes they interpret a word depending on the level of understanding of a student. Meanings change as students evolve.

It will be an understatement that gurus use 50 different words to explain one thing. This can be simply to clarify, or to add variety to their talks. Often this is very confusing.

Sometimes students of a guru assign different meanings to his/her words or teachings, depending on their own understanding and liking. This happens especially after the death of the guru. As time passes, the meanings are gradually distorted, as the original master is not there to clarify/correct the meanings.

**Variable meanings** 
Definitions and meanings change with time and place. They also change with context. The same word may mean something else in some other context, even when it is the same path, same master, same teaching.

Meanings depend on the subject being taught. E.g., the word Energy can mean totally different things in physics and occult. Similarly, the word dimension has different meanings in mathematics, computer science and spirituality. Not really surprising that a newcomer is baffled by this chaos of words. Not knowing what to do he/she blames the path or declares the guru a fraud. Anyhow, failure is guaranteed. The truth or knowledge was missed completely for the simple reason that he/she failed to ask for the correct meanings or definitions.

**Who knows the true meaning?** 
Of course, the one who says it, knows the meaning. (Hopefully they do!)

Usually the very first occurrence of any word is accompanied with its definition. Good teachers make sure that as soon as they introduce an important (*technical*) word, they define it there and then. In written form, the same is done. Sometimes a full list of words and their meanings is printed in the book itself. A good teacher often repeats the definitions and meanings, and a good student is the one who notes it down accurately and memorises it. If you are learning systematically and are following the teacher as instructed, you will not miss the meaning. But if you are listening to one or two lines of teachings from random places and you are juggling 20 gurus at the same time, there is no hope really.

So a simple solution is - always ask for a clear meaning, if you missed it somehow, go stepwise and follow the instructions. It is as simple as that - remain disciplined. Do not assume or imagine a meaning. Do not insist on a meaning which you knew in the past. Adopt the definitions of your teacher. Remember that the definition or meaning will be very unique here, it may or may not match with other gurus, paths, books etc etc. You get the point?

Do not mix languages, teachers or paths. **This is the key.**

**Who does not know the true meaning?** 
Ordinary people (non-seekers), other fellow students, teachers and seekers of any other path, teachers of same path, writers of books and scriptures, so called authorities, those who use any other language, dictionaries, encyclopedias, Google, AI, Wikipedia, random people on the internet, your family members or friends - the list is very long.

In short, only the one who speaks it knows the true meaning of a word or a sentence, no one else. Always take it from the source.

**Why dont all simply use one definition?** 
They try their best, but it is a law that everything changes eventually, including meanings, interpretations and definitions. That is why it is necessary to follow the one who knows the truth rather than the one who claims to know words.

A tradition strives to keep the authenticity of their teachings intact. Sometimes there are severe punishments if someone tries to redefine or reinterpret their teachings, but eventually the interpreters themselves mutate the traditions.

This is true even for everyday words. Like we call someone on the phone by dialling their number, it is called *dialling* because in old phones there was a mechanical dial to tell the system which number you want to connect to. When we end the call, we *hang-up*, because in those phones, the receiver part used to hang on a lever that disconnected the line. These days we use smartphones, but these words are the same, meanings have changed.

Another example, in western scientific tradition, there is no disagreement on the meaning of the word Electron, when this word is uttered everyone understands it equally well in just one way. Is that right? You can check, this word started as a name for a fundamental particle of matter, then it became a wave, then a quantum object or just a field of some kind. What about the words - force or space/time? As science progresses, the same word gets different meanings. In short, if the meanings do not change, it will not progress.

Depending on their own progress, some people will stick to the old meanings, and this causes a tremendous variety of definitions and meanings. So even if we want everything to remain a standard, it keeps changing. The art is to find the right word.

**Who said what?** 
New seekers usually ask me meanings of random words they heard from somewhere or they bring a quote from a great master and ask me the meaning. Many times they want to know something belonging to an entirely different path. They very innocently assume that all gurus know everything. Well, that is the first mistake, the second mistake is - they assume that whatever I will say will be the true meaning or definition.

A guru/teacher/master is the one who is an expert in one field, just one path. That which he/she is currently teaching. It is not wise to expect that this person will know everything under the sky. There are thousands of books, gurus, scriptures, paths and traditions, plus they all use different words and meanings. Is it even possible to know that? Although a guru will have a general knowledge or superficial broad understanding of many subjects, but that is not their main teaching.

Secondly, since you are learning from your teacher, it is best to focus on the teachings, words and definitions that are being taught. As soon as you ask about something else, or someone else, it is seen as a disinterest in the teachings (or course or the program), and the guru may then judge you accordingly.

I usually come to know who is interested in the program, and who understands me well. Because they ask relevant questions, show genuine interest in the program and follow my instructions. They simply adopt the system. Those who do not, they ask about random things, they want to know everything except that which is being taught. Such people lose my favor, I know they will not learn much, I do not invest my time on them.

Even if you know all these words and who-said-what kind of things, you will still remain ignorant. This is certain, as it shows no interest, no goal, no path and no intelligence. It is like asking for a solution to a math problem in history class in your school. Who will benefit here?

**Knowledge is not about collecting words, opinions, facts and trivia.** **Knowledge is gained via understanding the core teachings, life long practices and your own direct experience.**

**Interpretation of scriptures** 
Some students want to know the meaning of some sentences of a scripture. Probably out of curiosity, but mostly out of ignorance about the system. Any newcomer must know that a specific tradition teaches only a specific scripture, they know nothing about the other million scriptures and books. Secondly, it is wise to ask about something from scripture, only when that particular scripture or book is being taught, and the teacher is explaining exactly that part. This is a good context to ask your question.

What will be the result if you ask about a book or scripture to someone who does not teach it, which is not of their path, or which is not relevant? Or the teacher knows only English, and you ask for the meaning of a Sanskrit verse?

Obviously, nothing is learnt via this one-line-information seeking.

**Are you testing the guru?** 
Some people have a delusion that they know more than the guru. So they keep asking about meanings of words and quotes, to check whether this guru knows anything or not. What has happened is - they collected some superficial information about some words and sentences from here and there, and fully convinced that this is the final truth, and they are themselves a master of the subject, they interview the guru and see whether the guru says exactly the same thing which they assume is the truth. If it is not a word for word match, they immediately declare the guru a fraud.

This kind of behaviour is seen as lowly, and the guru immediately understands the intentions of such people. They are not really here to learn, but to insult or debate mindlessly. Words of wisdom usually trigger egos of lowly people, and it shows up like this.

So even if you are asking innocently, a guru may see it as a challenge, or an attempt by the seeker to test the knowledge of the guru, especially, when that which is asked is unrelated to the main teaching or the path. No teacher will like this, and so these people are kicked out of the program or ashram sooner or later.

How to test a guru then? You cannot, but you will know if a guru is helpful or not from your own progress. If you are not progressing, the guru is not good. The same guru can be an ideal guru for someone else.

So it is not wise to test gurus from how many words they know or from their opinions on who-said-what-and-why. Simply learn what they are teaching, see if it is beneficial for you. Usually the guru will teach all necessary words, and will make all sentences or teachings very clear in plain language. And if you cannot understand this much also, there is no hope, nothing will be learnt by asking about unrelated topics or testing the guru in such cases.

**Dangers of interpretation** 
Some teachers, due to their kindness, do say something about words and quotes from other paths or from other gurus or scriptures, especially from the great masters. But they do not claim any authority for that. If they do, they are fully trained to teach that, and it must be related to their own path, lineage or tradition.

My suggestion to new teachers here is that if it is not related to your path or teachings, and you try to interpret it in your own way, it can be dangerous, as your students may misunderstand it and may become more ignorant or their progress can stop. Only the one who said it originally can interpret their own words, or those who are trained to interpret the teachings or scriptures can do it, not everyone.

So even if you wish to answer, always add a disclaimer, that this is not an official interpretation, this is your own personal opinion only. Anyway, it is best to not answer and bring the student back on the topic. Teach only that which you can teach, this is best for your students.

**Proper guidance** 
Encourage the student to pay attention to that which you are teaching, this is my suggestion to teachers who face such students. Tell them to learn the topics you are teaching first, and not to worry about random words and who-said-what. You can also send students to the source, or guide them to a place where they can know about what they are asking. It can be a book, an ashram or another guru.

If it is important for them to know it, they will do the effort. But mostly, it is something petty and unimportant, which they ask impulsively. If they keep asking about other paths, other words, other practices and other gurus, you can be sure that they are not interested in your teachings.

**What if the source teacher is no more?** 
Usually the master who said all those words is long gone. If they have a tradition or lineage, there must be people who are authorized to interpret his/her words. If you are a teacher, you should ask the student to find out about it and approach them with their query. Also warn them that it will take a substantial amount of time, effort and money. You can also advise them to read as many books as they can, written by that master or his disciples.

Any intelligent student will get the clue. Mostly no one will do that kind of hard work to know the meaning of just one word or sentence.

**What if my life depends on the meanings?** 
What if those words and quotes are very important to you? They should be your life purpose or related to it. If you are a student, and these words that you are searching for are important, and your teacher does not tell you the meaning, or it is a half cooked explanation which he heard somewhere, or if he sends you to the original guru or his ashram in Himalayas, you should simply leave that guru. Join someone who knows those words and teachings, because here you will get nothing, it is not your path.

In no case you should argue with the teacher or insult the path or the teachings. Remember the Gurufield is always watching, and it can have very bad consequences from a karmic point of view. It is best to leave quietly and pursue the mystery of those words and quotes. If it is your life goal, you will do it anyway.

**When to coin a new word?** 
When the words that you are using to teach cause a lot of confusion because they are loaded with meanings from the past or from many paths, it is best to invent a new word and define it precisely. It must point to a clear idea or an experience.

Always clarify that this word means nothing outside your teachings. This will clear all the misunderstandings and assumptions and imaginations of the students. They will try to experience it themselves instead of searching for its meanings and translations in other languages, or in books or from other teachers.

Encourage your students to adopt your vocabulary. They can drop these definitions as soon as their course or program is over, if they wish so, and can go back to the old words if needed. But in any case, your message was transmitted clearly.

**When to reuse an old word?** 
When it cannot be avoided, when it is an integral part of your path and its teachings, or when it will not cause unnecessary confusion. Still, it is good to state its definition, origin etc. so that the interested students can research it from other sources. It is also recommended that you warn the students that it may mean something else in other paths etc.

**Provisional meanings** 
Sometimes, as a concession, a teacher can reinterpret a word or quote and teach a provisional meaning, if he/she thinks that this can cause some progress. Later the truth is told, but usually it is not necessary, as any intelligent student will understand why that was done.

Teachers do it when they see that at this stage the student will understand nothing at all, and just to silence their curiosity, something is told. For example, when a child asks about the meaning of the word *Atom*, you can tell him that it is like a tiny solar system with ball shaped particles orbiting a bigger ball in the center. As you know, this is not exactly correct. It will not be possible for you to send that child to a university professor or to advise him to learn advanced physics at this time.

**When people insist** 
What to do when the other does not agree on definition? Whether it is your student, or a peer or anyone else, when there is a disagreement about the definitions, it is wise to not teach or talk about it, because it wastes time, sometimes it leads to heated arguments.

You should politely say that you have some other definition of the word in question, and ask that person to seek an answer somewhere else which agrees with their own thinking more. There is no point in imposing your own definitions.

You will quickly see that 90% of arguments and misunderstandings arise from not knowing the meaning or definitions of the words being used. Mostly, people assume an imaginary meaning and start arguing without bothering to check if the meanings match. It's always a debate about apples and oranges.

**Bookish knowledge** 
What happens when you collect all the information and meanings and translations of a word or a quote from someone without actually living the experience which those words point to?

Yes, it is not wisdom, it is bookish knowledge. Or just unfounded information. A junk pile of words of all kinds. Moreover it causes stupidity, because such a person will declare himself or herself as a master of all trades instantly and will refuse to learn anything of value. Such people are found to preach and argue about what they think, and surely know about all subjects under the sky. They are not full of wisdom, but of garbage collected from unverified sources. They know all the words, who-said-what and they are confident that they know everything, that which they know is the only truth, and they boast about it.

It can fool the less educated for a while and such a person is seen as smart in society, probably they do it to erect such a false persona of themselves to impress others etc., but a wise person can see through it, and these wise people avoid such people at all costs. No sane person wants to teach them or to even correct them, as they know the consequences well. The result is - they never progress, they remain ignorant or fall spiritually and morally.

**Conclusion** 
Do not collect the junk of words from all over and do not convert yourself into a hard-disk. Stick to one path, one guru, learn the important words that are taught there. Be disciplined and focussed. Practice it, experience it, live it. This will ensure your progress. If you do not see any progress, change your path, change your guru. No amount of information about the meanings of random words, hundreds of definitions, translations into 20 languages or opinions about who-said-what will make you progress, and it will not surely make you a master.

Stick to one path, one guru, one language, one vocabulary, one practice at a time. This is very important. Adopt the system, go step by step, go systematically. Change paths only when you are sure that you are not progressing.

If you are a teacher, guide such students properly, encourage them to learn that which you are teaching, do not waste your time telling stories about who-said-what and in displaying your collection of words. Let the students learn the most basic teaching and let them verify it via their own experience. Expel the word collector immediately.

Words are not knowledge, nor are sayings of masters, they are pointing to the truth, they are steps towards knowledge, see what they are pointing to, know that via experience, practice that, throw away the words when you reach your goal, this is the key if you wish to become a successful seeker.

टेलीग्राम ब्राउज़र चेतावनी

ज्ञानाक्षर

Definitions And Quotes

Tarun Pradhaan