Doer Quote by Dada Bhagwan
““Worldly life is based on ‘action’ and the spiritual life is based on ‘knowing’. One does the action and the other ‘sees’. The ‘doer’ and the ‘knower’ can never be the same, they are always separate. They were separate, they are separate and they will remain separate.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Essays on Spirituality by Dada Bhagwan, 1990
The material world operates through doing, while the inner spiritual realm operates through insight; the two aspects of self are fundamentally distinct and cannot be unified.
In simple terms: Action drives the outer life; knowledge guides the inner life.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the separation of doing and knowing.
Themes
spirituality
dualism
self
action
knowledge
Mood
contemplative
reflective
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal growth
- meditation practice
- leadership decisions
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
Nondualism
philosophy
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance action with inner awareness?
- Can one embody both roles simultaneously?
A Different Perspective
The division may be more fluid in integrated practices like mindfulness.
![“I’ do not know [how to do] anything in the worldly life. ‘I’ do not know anything at all. ‘I’ know only about the Self [The soul]. The Self is the Knower-Seer; that I know. Whatever the Self sees, I can see that.” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88e/dada-bhagwan-31_identity_i-do-not-know-how-to-do-anything-in-the_2441737.jpg)
![“The worldly life [the relative] means 'superfluous'. Instead of superfluous, people believe it to be real (of nischaya) and then they even say, ‘this is indeed the way it should be, that is indeed the way it should be done.” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5ec/dada-bhagwan-31_life_the-worldly-life-the-relative-means-supe_1754644.jpg)
![“Worldly Life [sansaar] means continuous-flow. The worldly life is that which is always changing [transforming].” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/622/dada-bhagwan-31_life_worldly-life-sansaar-means-continuous-fl_878052.jpg)
![“The worldly [spiritual] science is methodic (kramic) in nature; one progresses “step by step”; one has to ascent one step at a time. Whereas this here, is Akram Vignan, a path of step-less spiritual science; it is a science that has arisen after 10 Lac (a million) years. In this path, one travels…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/78b/dada-bhagwan-31_akram-vignan_the-worldly-spiritual-science-is-methodi_1477.jpg)
![“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s self. Everything in the worldly life is nothing but intoxication. The food is intoxicating, the senses are intoxicating. [Therefore] Go to the one, who…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b3/dada-bhagwan-31_absolute_in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-into_3662.jpg)
![“Through the grace of a thief, one can become a thief and through the grace of a Gnani [the enlightened one], one can become a Gnani [the enlightened one].” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/102/dada-bhagwan-31_enlightened_through-the-grace-of-a-thief-one-can-bec_4725.jpg)
![“Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari [living a worldly life] regardless of whether one is an ascetic or a family man. And where anger-pride-deceit-greed are absent, one is regarded as being asansaari…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7ec/dada-bhagwan-31_anger_where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-dece_5756.jpg)
![“Skills (learning) or lack of skills is all egoistic knowledge (ego based knowledge). Ego-free Knowledge is called (true) Knowledge [Gnan].” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b36/dada-bhagwan-31_egoism_skills-learning-or-lack-of-skills-is-all_9081.jpg)
