Aquired knowledge vs. direct experience

Philosophy, theology is based on second-hand knowledge, postulations formulated by the word symbols. One can study all their life and still not come anywhere near the ultimate Reality or God. Mystical experiences, on the other hand, are direct and immediate experience of the Divine without distortion of the mind, doctrine or decree. Because it is not from second-hand learning based on words, it cannot be expressed by words. It is unspeakable; even if it is put down to words, they won't be comprehended by the common mind. For this reason, those who've had these experiences are referred to as 'mystics'. Strictly speaking, all truly enlightened beings are mystics simply because they've all come face to face with the Suchness; they've all entered immediate communion with the Reality, the ultimate Cause and End of all things. Buddha's teaching was not a result of a great philosophical mind, but expressions of his immediate experience. Jesus taught about Holy Trinity not out of a personal desire to set up the Church, but as a result of direct encounter and union with the Holy Spirit and Father in Heaven. When he said that he only has to lift up his eyes to behold his Father in Heaven, he was talking about his mystical experiences of reaching a Samadhi in which the purified and transmuted life force within pushes up the central energy pathway (Sushumna in Sanskrit) piercing the crown of the head. In such a state, the pineal gland (the third eye) is fully activated to perceive the light from Heaven. IThe Taoist mystics call this 'emancipating the spirit from the body'. This is the true 'ascension' in Christian sense.
So the path (Christian, Taoist, Hindu, Muslim) may be different, but the ultimate experience is the same. There can only be one Cause, one Reality, one God which is not subject to attributes, fragmentation or division. Mind divides, words fragment; but they have no bearing on that which has no attributes, no beginning or end, no limitation of space.
According to Meister Eckhart, the Divine is absolutely devoid of attributes which would be a limitation of His Infinity. God is incomprehensible; in fact, with regard to our limited intelligence, God is the origin and final end of every being. However, we can, at rare moments, attain to the Absolute by virtue of what he calls “the spark” (Funkelein) of the soul, which comes direct from God. This is really God acting in man; to know God is to be one with God. This is the final end of all our activity, and the means of attaining thereto is complete quietism.[Preface, Meister Eckhart's Sermons. Christian Classics Ethereal Library]
Lao Tzu, the ultimate Chinese mystic, says,

Not-knowing is true knowledge.

Presuming to know is a disease.

[Chapter 71, Tao Te Ching as translated by Stephen Mitchell]
The 'not-knowing' in a sage is not forming any assumptions, postulations, conceptions, philosophising born out of individual mind. When there is no individual mind, the Primordial luminosity shines through giving 'true knowledge', the mystical knowing that is beyond the ordinary knowing. The worldly people, on the other hand, pride themselves in acquiring second-hand knowledge based on assumptions and postulations or even hearsays. They might accumulate status and titles, but their knowing is false, is mere groping in dark and could only lead to peril.
Sadly, the world hasn't heard a real mystic speaking for a long time. However, there is no lack of charlatans who, presuming to know, have got on platforms to spread false knowledge.