Let us make out the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
What happens when we put our fingers in fire?
Knowledge says, ‘It pains and spoils the skin’
And Wisdom says, ‘So, we should not put our fingers in fire’.
Thus wisdom can be derived as the applied knowledge in a positive manner for constructive aspects.
Knowledge stays in brain and wisdom stays with soul. The duration of that stay of both knowledge and wisdom depends on how firmly they are printed respectively on brain and soul. Brain is a temporary store house of ‘knowledge and wisdom’ for a soul which is in physical state or in body form.
Knowledge is the raw data that we pile up in brain and it stays in brain without perishing only when it is recalled and reprinted for many times. It can be compared to the things in our home like furniture, books, vessels etc. They stay clean and fresh only when they are cleansed from time to time. As dust is to things so is the forgetfulness is to knowledge. To remove the dust we clean the things. Like wise, to remove the forgetfulness we need to recall and reprint the knowledge that we store in our brains.
The knowledge can be stored in brain permanently with maximum effort by recalling the same for life time. But here, the word permanent implies, ’till the death-till the brain stays active with its materialistic functioning through the flow of blood and active functioning of the neurons’. The knowledge that is gained can no more stay in brain after that.
Wisdom is the extract of knowledge that decides the refinement of the soul. If the knowledge that can give out wisdom is stored in brain and if the wisdom is extracted from that knowledge and reprinted on soul for many times then it stays with soul permanently. Here the word permanent implies- ‘for ever- soul has no death-it is immortal’. But the activity of reprinting the wisdom should be firm up to the best. The effort to be kept to print something on the soul permanently should be many times more than the effort one puts to print something on brain. It becomes possible only through extreme practice which otherwise is known as ‘ saadhana’.
Friction of experiences begets wisdom. The wisdom that is printed on soul becomes permanent and it carries forward in successive births of the soul. The wisdom that carries forward makes the soul behave refined in that particular angle. That behavior is otherwise called, ‘samskaara’.
The real wisdom gained by the soul can be expressed or improved in body form only when the brain is calm and peaceful. Brain is a tool to nurture the soul. Brain should be in a receptive mood to learn the ways to gain wisdom. Wisdom pervades only when it is shared. Brain is a device that is controlled by the soul. Soul is the master and brain is a means.
Summing up all this, I feel ‘wisdom is the impression of truth on soul’.
(SiraSri can be reached at [email protected])