The most elusive knowledge is self-knowledge

“The most elusive knowledge is self-knowledge, and it is usually acquired through solitude, rather than through interaction with others.” ANYONE HOME? WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THIS?

No ones home!

It seems it is another one of those questions that requires both sides for the complete answer. I feel one needs a healthy dose of solitude and interaction with others to know ones self.

I know you are undergoing a period of solitude, though I am not so sure if 3 hours on your own can be referred to as solitude

So how does one acquire self-knowledge?

After much quiet contemplation, one can acquire self-knowledge.

The story of Buddha under the bodi tree could be a good example of this.

(raising hand) lazy student needs to be spoon-fed please tell me the story and its relation to this

Still seeking a way to understand the meaning of life, Siddhartha set out for Buddhagaya. Near a grove, he sat down under a huge Bodhi tree. Silently he vowed, “Even if my flesh and blood were to dry up, leaving only skin and bones, I will not leave this place until I find a way to end all sorrow.” He sat there for forty nine days. He was determined to discover the source of all pain and suffering in the world. Mara, the evil one, tried to scare him into giving up his quest. For instance, he hoped to lure Siddhartha into having selfish thoughts by sending visions of his very beautiful daughters. But the Buddha’s goodness protected him from such attacks.

During this period, Siddhartha was able to see things as they truly were. Now he had finally found the answer to suffering: “The cause of suffering is greed, selfishness and stupidity. If people get rid of these negative emotions, they will be happy.”

During a full-moon night in May, Siddhartha went into deep meditation. As the morning star appeared in the eastern sky, he became an enlightened one, a Buddha. He was thirty five years old.

When the Buddha stood up at last, he gazed at the tree in gratitude, to thank it for having given him shelter. From then on, the tree was known as the Bodhi tree, the tree of enlightenment.