How To Gain Knowledge Easily?

In the last post, we discussed some of the ways to investigate the reality aka., means of gaining knowledge. In this post, we will discuss the easiest of them.

The three ways of gaining knowledge as discussed earlier are -

1. Direct Perception (Shabda Pramana)
2. Inference (Upmana Pramana)
3. Testimony (Shabda Pramana) 

In another earlier discussion, we also saw that direct perception is not very reliable. Similarly, an inference can also be wrong. A classic example of misconception is the example of a rope in a dark room.

When we step onto a rope in a dark room we may infer it as a snake. We get terrified but as soon as we find the reality all our fear goes away. This is one of the limitations of gaining knowledge by inference.

Scirptures are easiest way to gain Knowledge

Testimony is considered the easiest and most accurate method of gaining knowledge. Scriptures are considered the most authoritative easily available testimony of the nature of reality. Scriptures are not ordinary books written by people like me and you. Scriptures are considered words of God because their writers themselves do not take the credit of writing it and consider it a work of higher intuition.

Not anyone can write something and it will be called a scripture. Scriptures were compiled by sages in deep states of contemplation who devoted their whole life to a particular idea and experienced it to be universally true by living the idea and experiment it in all possible manner.

Testimony from a person who has realized the reality himself by direct experience is considered even higher than the scriptures. Such a person who teaches the nature of reality from his direct experience is called a Guru. Guru is sometimes considered even greater than The God Himself. But such a person is rare to find.

Now, we must ask how can we believe everything scriptures say. They were written by great people under higher intuition and everything else is fine. But, how and why should I believe it?

Scriptures don't force its teachings on you. Scriptures allow you to test them yourself. It invites everyone to read or listen to them, learn or memorize it and then meditate on it, to try to test it on your own experience and then either accept and reject it.