“When your last breath arrives, intellectual knowledge can do nothing”
Sri Adi Shankaracharya
At the evening discourse on a silent meditation retreat, I was introduced to the story of Swimology. A young professor was aboard a ship with an old sailor. Every day the professor would impress upon the sailor that he was ignorant about the world. They would discuss Oceanology, Geology, Meteorology, and after every conversation, the professor would conclude that the old sailor didn’t know anything.
One morning the old sailor rushed out of his cabin and asked if the professor knew about Swimology. The old sailor said that the ship was sinking and that unless he knew how to swim, he would drown. The professor only had intellectual knowledge, he knew every ology, but knew not how to swim.
The balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills is crucial for a holistic understanding of life. And yet, in moments when we are called to be fully present, whether in danger or ecstasy, the mind is silent and pure theory is impotent. When we are confronted with an intractable problem, the intellect shuts down. Who we really are is made manifest and the only theoretical knowledge that arises is that which has been embodied and made reflexive.
