“Gnosis is knowledge of the sacred, attained at the threshold of ecstasy.”

understanding is more than knowledge of facts condensed into laws of nature. Theories deal with the mechanisms operating behind the laws, and imbue them with meaning beyond mere data and laws (regularities).

But gnosis is even more than understanding. It is “the faith that passeth understanding”.

Some try to reach the peak of ecstasy by feats of technology. This is like “scaling” Mount Everest by being landed on its summit from a helicopter. “Transcendental meditation” is psycho-technology, not the true Rama Yoga, which takes concentrated effort for many years. “The Cloud of Unknowing” illustrates this in Christian mysticism. One has to pass through the darkness to reach the light. A caterpillar does not turn into a butterfly without total reorganization in the chrysalis.