C H A P T E R Vedic Wisdom (1700-1100 BCE)(11) T o our senses, the universe appears fragmentary However, if we learn to pay attention, we begin to see its inter-connectedness We also begin to see it as one whole emerging from an unidentifiable infinite and infinitesimal Ancient India had a strong and abiding tradition of seeking Nothing was outside its scope The tradition identified a missing link between things as they appear and as they really are They called it, in Sanskrit, dhyan, meaning “attention.” The Vedas comprise a large body of knowledge from ancient India The Sanskrit verb vid means “to know” (12) and Veda means “knowledge.”(13) There are four Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Atharva Veda They cannot be attributed to specific authors; instead, many sages and seers contributed deep insights resulting from long periods of penetrating meditation Scholars differ on the exact chronology of the Vedas Although the Vedas are regarded as Hindu scriptures, every religion with roots in India, and perhaps elsewhere in the world, is affected by them The Vedas are a compilation of the utmost spiritual wisdom of long lineages of deep contemplatives It is not possible for 59