Vedic knowledge is the knowledge of life
Vedic knowledge has a three fold structure. In any process of taking in information there are three aspects. In the case of a person reading a book there is the knower; which is the person reading the book, the known; which is the object of knowledge of the book and the process of knowing the information which is the ability to read. Without one of these aspects the acquisition of knowledge would be incomplete.
This can also be applied to digestion of food. Ayurveda understands that the experience of gaining nutrition from our food comprises these three aspects. For example rather than just assuming that an apple has certain amount of nutrition, Ayurveda would look at the overall health and digestive strength of the person eating the food, the quality of the food itself and the process of cooking and how the food is eaten.
If there is a deficiency in knowledge or in nutrition, cramming more information into the system will only cause problems. The capacity of the knower and the process of metabolising must also be improved. Information overload will only create stress on the mind, likewise consuming heavy food when the digestive system is weak will only cause blockages and aggravate digestive problems.
Western knowledge is predominantly object referral. Education is constantly focused on improving the curriculum. In an effort to create clever children we are expecting more of them at a younger age and subsequently trying to force more knowledge into them, at the same time their brains are receiving increasing amounts of stimulation from media, television and computer games. The result is mental overload, stress and inability to cope with life.
If your computer is not coping with your workload or cannot read the latest programs you tend to upgrade it or at least defrag it to clear some of the congestion. In the case of the mind it is left to go on coping with the ever increasing amount of information, stimulation and stress. Long term this can lead to chronic stress, panic attacks, insomnia, headaches, poor memory and inability to concentrate.
Transcendental Meditation expands the conscious capacity of the mind while neutralising stress and fatigue. Turning inward for 20 minutes twice a day has been shown to improve memory, increase creativity, improve problem solving and even boost IQ scores. Just as an Ayurvedic consultation focuses on improving the ability of the physiology to digest and metabolise what we consume, Transcendental Meditation is the Vedic tool to enhance learning information, comprehending it and retaining what we have absorbed.
Vedic knowledge is lived, not just intellectually understood. For a student of medicine to get their degree but be stressed and in poor health seems absurd by Vedic standards, in fact in Vedic civilisation the doctor only gets paid if the people are well.
Wendy Rosenfeldt is a Maharishi Vedic Health Educator and Teacher of Transcendental Meditation.
There will be a free Introductory Talk on Transcendental Meditation on Wednesday 16 June at 11.30 in Maleny.
Please call Wendy on 5499 9580 to book for the talk or to make another time.
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