UN-COVERING AND DIS-COVERING!
The real teachings and the teacher of Self-Knowledge do not “give” us anything new or “add” to our knowledge in any way. They only remove the wrong notions we are having about our true nature. When the mistaken notions are removed, the Self-knowledge stands uncovered and revealed, as It is.
How can that which is Eternal be created afresh?
This is a most fundamental point to be “cognized” on the path to Self-Knowledge, which is no path really speaking. The words “path” and “discovery” are used as effective means (upāya-kaushal) to impart the teaching initially and later discarded–like a thorn used to remove a thorn that is struck in the foot. Once the thorn has been removed, we discard both the thorns in the end.
Even so, teachings regarding Self-knowledge (Tat tvam asi) are employed as the thorn to remove the thorn of mis-conception (that i am the body–dehabuddhi). Once the student is steadfast in the Self-knowledge (Aham Brahmasmi), both the teacher and the student vanish, as it were, and only silence remains.
It also explains why some of the greatest teachers of Self-Knowledge, like Dakshinamurti and Ramana Maharshi, chose to teach through silence and symbols mostly. But the student has to be right, and ripe.
The Bhagavad Gītā captures the sentiment succinctly as follows:
यावान् अर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः संप्लुतोदके
तावान् सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः २.४६
yāvān artha udapāne sarvataḥ saṃplutodake
tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ 2.46
Just as a reservoir is of little use when the water is flooded everywhere,
even so scriptures are of little use to an Illumined person who sees the Supreme Lord everywhere.
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