Knowledge of something is like a pyramid. first you have to establish a foundation of information, then you have to build off that foundation until you reach the top which is the target knowledge.
Lets say my goal is to know how to BE with an eskimo's mind. first I would have to gather information.This is done by talking with an eskimo. I would listen to the eskimo with a open heart and mind. I would not judge the eskimo at all. In doing this I will learn new information about the eskimo.
Now what determines where this information is placed in my pyramid of knowledge of how to BE? Well, if the Information is 100% virgin, connectionless, a whole new piece of meat from a whole new cow, completely derived from the eskimo's mouth or body, then it would be placed at the foundation of my pyramid.
If the new information was made from a connection with old information about the eskimo that I have already attained and placed somewhere in the pyramid, then this new piece of information would be placed on top of the old piece of information with which it is connected.
It is a process. Each piece of new information is built upon something learned prior to it. This process is repeated until the learner has obtained enough information and made enough connections to have reached the top and attained the target knowledge.
as an example, the eskimo says something.
anything the eskimo says is information that can be used later to build upon. That is why listening is so important because the eskimo may not even know he is sharing important information. He could just be venting some sort of frustration or making a joke. But the fact is that it is exiting his mouth, meaning that it was in his mind, which also means it could have been in hi's heart. It isn't always this way. But everything he says should be important. That is my responsibility. Take all the information I can about Eskimo, and decide what is part of the pyramid I am currently building and what could be used for another pyramid, and what could be connection a between pyramids.
So Eskimo says something - "cucumbers are very long and wide". This is new information, something you have never heard Eskimo say before so it is put at the foundation of the pyramid. This Information may not make perfect sense by itself, but as you gain more information making connections with this information, building off of it, it will make more and more sense.
So 10 years later Eskimo says something else - "Can you make bread?". You hear this, and you make a connection. You remember Eskimo's comment 10 years earlier about cucumbers and you make a connection. maybe Eskimo has heard of cucumber bread and has been curious about it but just never pursued it. but since you listen and make the connections you gain knowledge about Eskimo. And then you can use that knowledge to understand.
You might say "well why doesn't Eskimo just say, " I wanna try cucumber bread"", and I have a question for you. Do you understand yourself 100%. Do you understand why you do what you do all the time? Do you know the reason behind everything that has happened and will happen in your life? I don't think the person you are listening to does either. That is why we need to listen, be it from love, from simple interest, from responsibility, from whatever reason, we listen and we get that knowledge!!!!!!!