Question: Its said that Experience is basically a sense perception. In Advaita Vedanta, how do we distinguish between Knowledge and Experience? Because, I feel that both knowledge and experience are same in the sense that both need an object. Can someone give the difference with the help of an example please?
Student The above question can be asked in another way:
How is knowledge of an object different from experience of that object?. Knowledge itself is a kind of experience.
Sri Prabhuji: What is an experience ?
Five sense organs (ear, nose, skin, tongue, eyes) sense objects of world. The sensations are touch, sound, smell, taste and form from respective sense organs. Sense organs sense “form” of object while mind gives “name” for object.
Name and form is thought in the mind. Thought is knowledge. Knowledge is conditioned knowing (awareness). In this way all experiences are nothing but knowledge only which ends up in knowing. Knowing is the only experience we have.