The Search for Knowledge and Freedom from Suffering : หน้า 10/47

the day we lie on our deathbed, facing the reality of our mortal impermanence, with all our fears returning to confront us once more. Knowledge or wisdom that reveals the truth has and will always provide the path that enables us to escape from the sufferings of living one's life so that when the time comes, we may, with a peaceful consciousness, understand and accept the inevitability of our demise free from any fear or trepidation. Knowledge frees us from suffering. Humans are born with ignorance. Whatever they know must be learned later after birth. Because of not knowing, people are afraid of the unknown, thus leading to suffering. Hence, people seek wisdom to free themselves from suffering but the true causes have not yet been answered. If knowledge is found, people can be free from suffering and have all the answers for the very common question about life we have always been asking. What are we doing here? Where do we go after death? What is the purpose of life? It is in fact knowledge that will lead us to happiness, and therefore our search for knowledge is nothing other than the search for happiness. In this search human beings are one; we all desire happiness above all other things. KNOWLEDGE Whether we use the word 'knowledge' or 'wisdom' depends on the interpretation by the individual. A human being's first source of fundamental knowledge arises from memorization of things experienced by the senses. But this is not a complete basis of knowledge, as the powers of self-awareness and reasoned responses have not yet been established. We have to admire those who are born with a memory like a computer, for they possess an ability to recall anything, anytime. However, they cannot make conclusions or analyze the knowledge accumulated as a source of mo mentized knowledge without something that is more advanced to make use of their stored "information. Memorizing and recalling the formula to solve quadratic equations is of no use if we do not understand how to use the formula or for what it is used. This leads us to the second source of knowledge, which is attained through work and experience, and application of that knowledge in life and work, plus