II. THE PROBLEM OF PRESERVATION OF HOLY KNOWLEDGE
II.I. esoteric knowledge and scientology technology
Esoteric knowledge in religious systems is possible in two forms. The first form of esoteric knowledge assumes special methods and script of concealment, coding. It is supposed that the disclosure of hidden knowledge, giving it availability for all who so wish, transforms hidden knowledge into profane, or secular, knowledge which loses its holy power and convertibility.
The second form of esoteric knowledge assumes the principle of openness and availability. However, the specific structure of knowledge is such that if the pupil has not taken the previous steps, he cannot understand the following level. In other words, esoteric knowledge arises from a situation where it is necessary first to pass all levels of a detailed developed chain of personal achievement. Each step contains in itself all the others in an enclosed way. Thus, esoteric knowledge develops not from a desire to code and hide knowledge, but from the simple circumstance that one possessing the highest level of knowledge cannot relay this knowledge to a person who has not yet passed all the requisite steps of internal transformations and changes of consciousness. The only thing that the owner of the highest knowledge can do is to get the pupil through all the prerequisite steps.
Esoteric knowledge of Scientology concerns the second form. When we see the mark "confidential" on some steps of the Scientology knowledge, it means that this concerns knowledge which can only be relayed to a person who has passed all the levels previously given.
Scientology is basically an open religious system. Each person who has felt the internal necessity to accept the way and spiritual message of Scientology can count on attention and support. And the work with a student of the religion will be conducted as the reply to his own searches of spiritual identity. However, it is necessary to remember that in the center of the Scientology spiritual path lies the personal experience of achievement of a spiritual identity, a new spiritual infinite self. Therefore the "story," the "narration" about this experience is possible only in a rather limited amount, not because the spiritual instructors hide this experience, but because this experience is basically not able to be verbalized or expressed. Certainly in Scientology there is a genre of "witnessing" the personal progress and those transformations which the person experienced, for example, during the achievement of the highest level of awareness of the eternal self. However, this particular "witnessing" (a very important and necessary genre) does not replace the holy knowledge. Reading these testimonies and receiving the verbal witnesses you clearly understand that the witness really wants to describe his experience, but cannot relay the knowledge.
The requirement for the exact preservation and
reproduction of Scientology technology was developed as a result of this
situation, as was the existing requirement not to go to the next stage
of study without having fully understood the previous material. From this
follows the very significant procedure of clearing the meaning of individual
words. This significant attention to the procedure of clearing the meaning
of words also relates Scientology to the great religious traditions and
allows the Scientology knowledge to be considered holy knowledge.
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