Books may be able to draw the map - but you cannot experience That without going yourself inside

Swami Muktananda and pic of Bhagawan Nityananda

(from "Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri"):

Swami Muktananda: At one point in my sadhana I discovered that knowledge is man's true nature. Shaivism says, "When pure knowledge arises in man, he attains the Lord." So I began to read books - many, many books. I used to stay a mile away from my Gurudev's place, and when I went to see him, I would take a book under my arm.

My Babaji watched this for a long time. He must have wondered whether I was ever going to stop reading. But there was no way I could stop reading. It wasn't that I was holding on to the book - the book was holding on to me. Whenever you have an addiction, that's what happens. Whatever you're addicted to holds on to you.

Finally, one day he called me closer and said, "Hey Muktananda, come here. What's that you're carrying under your arm?"

"It's a Upanishad," I said.

"Mati! (Dust)" he said. He was very fond of the word "dust". he would describe everything as dust. He went on, "Do you know how this book was written? Books are created by someone's mind. The mind creates books. Books have never yet created even a single mind. Where is your mind? Where has it gone? Instead of reading someone else's mind, meditate and then read your own mind. Put this book aside and meditate. Meditate a lot. When you meditate a lot, true knowledge will spring forth from you. You won't have to read books. Inner knowledge is far superior. Write your own book with your own mind. Meditate. Many books will come out of you."

The truth of what my Guru was saying dawned on me immediately. The truth will dawn upon you too when you tap that center of knowledge within yourself. So far, you are dwelling only in the eye center, which is the center of the waking state, and the throat center, which is the center of dreams. You haven't yet reached the heart center, which becomes active during meditation.

There is a center of knowledge, a creative center, within, and when you reach that place of knowledge, great poetry and literature spring up spontaneously. That is how the scriptures were composed - the Koran, the Gita, the Bible, the Dharmapada. All the scriptures emanate from this center of knowledge. Some people reach a little part of this center; others reach a bit more, but it is very hard to gain the whole center of knowledge.

The inner Shakti, when it is awakened, is the great treasure of knowledge. No one has any great knowledge than that Shakti. When it awakens within you and inspires you, you can become a great scholar.

How can you experience your own inner Truth in outer books? Books may be able to draw the map of the inner Truth. But how can you experience That without going inside? My Gurudev was a being who would make you open your inner book and read that.