Is it true that people don't need to read books but instead need to look within themelves for answers?

Question

Is it true that people don't need to read books but instead need to look within themelves for answers?

Answer 1

The way you phrased the question makes it either/or.  If people are looking for answers, they have the potential to find them any number of places, including looking within, looking without, reading books, watching television, walking on the beach or whatever.  Putting limits on the ways that you can achieve greater awareness or spirituality may not be the answer to what you are looking for.

Answer 2

books can't give u the exact answers. it's only a field guide.Ü

Answer 3

Both books & insight enquiries are required. Studying books alone will not lead anybody to a correct destination, but books of enlightened one are usefull guide. Attune of the mind with in the self to be attained to achieve some thing great.

Answer 4

Yes it is true because after all we have all the answers within us but sometimes we reject them or we choose not to see them and others we cant find them. Some can just search inside them and find them, others need to meditate and use other methods. One of those many methods is reading books that inspire us. Books help many including myself but they dont help everyone. Because everyone is diffrent so we all have diffrent ways of finding answers.

Answer 5

Since we are all One, reading books is looking within..

Answer 6

no we need knowledge from books because they help us explore many things we didnt know existed, and then we can look into ourselves.

Answer 7

I started reading when I was 5 and I never stopped. I guess I was looking for answers since then. At this moment I am reading" What Could He Be Thinking?" by Michael Gurian

(How a Man's Mind really works) . Now how on earth could I be looking inside myself for answers. I am a female, I love being a female and all that goes with being one. Men, on the other hand, I did not understand. The Lord gave me a father, a brother, a husband, 3 wonderful sons and many male friends that I love dearly but was disappointed by them over and over again. Now that I found these answers from this book, I expect less, love them more and understand unconditionally. I believe in the good of all people, so I go through all the answers and take what works for me.

This was a very good question with some amazing answers, thank you.

Answer 8

Where did people get answers before there were books?

Books can help, but to deify books or the authors who wrote them is a dangerous practice.

The skills of reading and writing are relatively recent in Human history.

In most societies reading was reserved for the elite. This is especially true for Western societies. Books as you are familiar with today,  were not produced enmasse until after the Guttenburg's printing press in the 1500's. Owning a book during that time was like owning a desktop computer in the 1980. It was an expensive proposition.  

Asking the right questions is the path to finding the the right answers, whether one reading a book or reading/looking into oneself.

One should ask if the book and author are valid. Authors have been manipulated such that the information reflects the position of a government or patron. In some cases the contents of the book are present to flatter and manipulate the patron.

Looking into oneself I believe will get the answers, but critical thinking is required. Anyone  can write a book. Anyone can be right. Anyone can be wrong.

Vigilence in either case is required.

Litening to stories,fables, etc also helps.

Answer 9

How can a person be aware of his own image is he doesn't have a reflection to realize awareness?  You need books to learn some, much like seeding.  How you grow to be a tree is your journey which eventually bear good or bad fruits.

Once you become aware, then you realize, then you can look inward to see how great you can become.  Achievements and merits are just milestones for the road, because what you learn stays with you ever expanding and knowing.  And soon the road doesn't concern you because you transcend the journey and you become a seed for others.

Answer 10

obviously not in any real way. But an answer like that doesn't satisfy the nature of this question.

I once decided to give some thought to this concept. I wanted to give it some rational grounding. I didn't delve too far but I have some notes left in my head, so I might give you some food for thought (and possibly regurgitation).

There are an infinite number of question that can potentially be asked. In order to ask those questions one needs to verbalize them, or write them down. In either case questions, by their nature, are limited to language. Language, in a very basic sense, is an utterance of sound (in relation to a codex of some kind). Anyone who is capable of uttering these sounds is about as capable as any other person at uttering sounds. The same manner of verbalization is required in answering a question, as in asking. In order to answer a question, words must be uttered or written. Given that all answers are a specific combination of words, and that all people are able to utter the words necessary to form an answer, then all people, potentially (on an infinite time scale) are capable of answering any question, and frankly (remembering the infinite time scale) without even hearing the question or knowing a language.

you already know everything.

this is messy. I thought about this over a year ago, there was more to it then. Just giving you a more interesting answer than the very obvious "no".

Answer 11

A Man Learns 25% By Teacher, 25% By His Experience, 25% By Other People And 25% By Self Thinking. So, Think.

Answer 12

Of course not.  Knowledge is stored, A human being is born a blank slate, an empty vessel, a tabula rasa. His forays, voyages, meanderings, experiences. all contribute to his list of accumulated wisdom. He knows his stash of wisdom is precious little.  Education is the immersion of the worlds accumulated wisdom.  WHen we read a book, we dive into someone elses stash of wisdom.

Sure, look into your own little bag of experiences, but do not deny yourself the added dimension of someone elses.

It is only pride that stops us from doing that.

Answer 13

for the final few steps. books can guide you to the door faster than wondering about alone.

Answer 14

You can "look inside" only if you've read enough books. Our minds are not full of all knowledge at birth, as Socrates taught, needing only to ask ourselves the right questions to get the answers.

All knowledge comes from rational cognition of empirical existents, and books are empirical existents.

Answer 15

For many starting out there is a need to become familiar with the concepts, & paths those who went before us carved. They left a great legacy. Yet, no one should accept what anyone says to be Truth without proving to themselves first, otherwise you will not become the knowledge you hold. Books & concepts are the map, but not the territory, the territory is with in, but the map sure helps.

Blessings!

Answer 16

Are you really reading  books because of needs or because you have to? then better not to read at all...otherwise I am totally agree with 2 answers above although there is much more on a subject to be said...First you  fishing a knowledge from books,mother, father, friends then you experiencing them in one form or another,while aware of it or not. Better be aware or you will fall in a circle of repetition of the same thing over and over again....in most cases you start to look within for an answer only when you getting sick of it...sick enough to  encourage yourself to look within, most scary thing ever....