The Ocean of Knowledge

"Nisargadatta had little formal education yet could answer profound questions. How could someone with so little objective knowledge answer questions with such profundity? Rupert says: ‘The Shankaracharya gave a beautiful analogy: consciousness is like an ocean with no shape or form. Every question is like a bucket dipped into the ocean, and every bucket has a slightly different shape and size. No matter what the shape of the bucket, the water it draws is perfectly tailored to it. One who knows the nature of consciousness can answer all questions because the question is like a bucket. Nisargadatta had very little formal education – he was a cigarette maker. The only thing he knew for certain was “I am”. His knowledge was like an ocean with no form or content. But every question dipped into the ocean of his mind came out with an answer uniquely and exquisitely tailored to the shape of the question, precisely because he had no objective knowledge of his own.’"

From event 05 - 12 October, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute, 5–12 October 2025

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