Words or Experiences

Every religion seems to say to us, "Only by these documents of words can you know the truth."

But experience tells us that unless we learn from our own experiences in life words alone are completely meaningless.

If you have ever used a GPS device in your car to navigate you have had a humorous experience of exactly what I'm talking about. The device often will tell you to turn places to get where you want to go. But if you listened you might go off a bridge or through someone's house or worse and just die or be injured.

I think it is the same with written words written centuries ago or even yesterday. Unless they are relevant right now in your life in a way that you can see they are basically meaningless.

There is a saying, "The way that can be thought of or spoken of is not the true path or the true way."

It is my experience in regard to enlightenment that this is true. So if this is also your experience no words are useful at all concerning enlightenment only direct experience.

If this is true then the words, "Carry water and Chop wood" have more significance in that they mean, "Make sure you are warm and have water to drink and wood to cook with so you can go on surviving in any weather you find yourself in.

So, in the end being practical enough to survive anything is where one must start. If  we don't start there or end there then there is no one to become spiritual and enlightened because then they are only crazy or dead. Because without practicality none of us survive unless someone is being practical that takes care of us like a mate, a parent, and uncle, aunt, or grandparent or a friend.