Unfortunately, though, knowledge or education is often confused with enlightenment, wisdom, or realization. One can fill one’s head with every fact in the world and yet not necessarily come to any realizations about oneself or others. The Harvard professor, while extraordinarily knowledgeable, is not necessarily a sage, and not necessarily in touch with himself or others. Conversely, the Zen master with only an elementary school education might teach the character more about himself than anyone else he has ever met. Indeed, the ardent pursuit of external knowledge can often become a distraction from the much harder inner pursuit of realization.