If you immediatley know the candle light is fire....

[Morrolan]

The most obvious things are the hardest to see.

[deadegg]

I always looked at it as a way of saying "dont make assumptions". You know the old saying that to assume is to make an "ass of u and me".. The whole candle light saying is just a sugar coat. lol

[LtColCarter]

I always looked at it as a way of saying "dont make assumptions". You know the old saying that to assume is to make an "ass of u and me".. The whole candle light saying is just a sugar coat. lol

Very preceptive! I agree!

[jenks]

It's just their take on an old proverb about a fool who looked for fire by candlelight, I thought we'd established that ages go

[LtColCarter]

It's just their take on an old proverb about a fool who looked for fire by candlelight, I thought we'd established that ages go

It was possibly established long ago...but I didn't see it!

[Alteran of Atlantis]

It's really a hard riddle. It might mean something, or it could be totally random. I can't really find one particular meaning to it, it could be interprited dozens of ways. But it's meant to open your mind, like Oma said, and even though this is real life it still makes you think.

[starshineRoxie]

I've thought about this for years now and have come to a conclusion,

Spoiler:

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!

[Alteran of Atlantis]

I've thought about this for years now and have to a conclusion,

Spoiler:

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!

Don't worry, the rest of us are equally clueless.

[GuHNDoi]

Others have said it before, it is a proverb, albeit the wording different, but the purpouse is to open ones mind. Get the person into a state of contemplation, upon reality and the universe.

It has not the same meaning for everyone, each individual's journey is different to the others. It is a means to an end, but once the end is reached, it has only just begun.

Spirituality, I Love It! Stargate incorporates it very well!

Everyone is a spiritual being, regardless of what they think. You are what you are, or, You is what you is.

Everything is, and is valid!

[tombombadil]

it means that one can see something(in this case a candle) and from it, deduce previous actions(such as cooking a meal). the literal meaning, you use fire to cook meals, when you see that the only fire around is a candle, being used for lighting, you know that it's probably past the time of cooking meals.

[logicbylinda]

so my opinion on what it means is that once you think you know everything, you realize it was better to not know anything. it means, once you notice the candle is lit.... you will see the end is just the begging.

[thekillman]

so my opinion on what it means is that once you think you know everything, you realize it was better to not know anything. it means, once you notice the candle is lit.... you will see the end is just the begging.

No it's already been said :

It means that to be enlightened, you need to go through a process. you can't just "skip" that and enlighten yourself.

If you immediately know the candlelight is fire, then that means you know fire and have used it before (to cook a meal).

It is especially obvious when you consider the context of the episode it appeared in in which Daniel tries to learn from Oma and become like her. And Oma's reply is thus "i can't teach you how to ascend, it's a process you need to go through".

[Quintazon]

Geezzzzz just turn it around guys

If the meal was cooked a long time ago, then you immediatley know the candle light is fire

[destiny khan]

No it's already been said :

It means that to be enlightened, you need to go through a process. you can't just "skip" that and enlighten yourself.

If you immediately know the candlelight is fire, then that means you know fire and have used it before (to cook a meal).

It is especially obvious when you consider the context of the episode it appeared in in which Daniel tries to learn from Oma and become like her. And Oma's reply is thus "i can't teach you how to ascend, it's a process you need to go through".

This statement is very simple and it is not necessarily about going through a process but about judging your current state of enlightenment(but in the context of the episode it is of course oma telling daniel that he is a big noob so he should gtfo). But what this statement really implies, in the very depth of it?

If you are into philosophy and like to ponder over life and its meaning and what not then this statement is very easy to understand. My own quotation is "Look inside yourself and understand the world"(or universe or whatever you want to put over here). Which is basically a long long long book simply put into one sentence. Tao te ching explain it better "Knowing other people is intelligence, knowing yourself is wisdom. Overcoming others takes strength, overcoming yourself takes greatness. If you know you have enough then you are truly rich." yadda yadda... if you think along those line then the statement is actually a testament to itself.
"if you immediately know that candle light is fire then the meal was cooked a long time ago"
This means exactly what i am have put into words a different way before. Basically it is about "common sense" and the lack there of. The statement explains that people are normally blind to what is directly in front of them, deceptively simple and that is why common sense is the least common of senses. Basically if you do not understand the statement then you are actually proven the statement right. A person cannot see candle light as fire,while he is hungry and trying to make a meal and cannot find fire to make it. It is a very good social commentary explaining what the hell is going on this mad and violent world while all the solutions are so damn simple that it is mind boggling that no one sees them. e.g my personal favorites are the western "Free" society's illusion of freedom, they are so badly enslaved that they don't even know it or the naked women on posters to sell stuff and the "free" society thinks that they are "empowering" women by letting them be naked etc etc. These are topics that this line of thinking implies upon. Daniel calls them as zen koans. It is all about going into the absolute "Depth" of these statements to achieve enlightenment and lift that veil. Other quotes from the series

"here is everywhere you are"
"put no barriers between you and where you are"
"lightning flashes, sparks shower, in one blink of your eyes you have missed seeing"(all of these point to raising the veil over your eye and see the truth)
"The river tells no lies though standing on the shore, the dishonest man still hears them"
omma expands on the statement
"because it is so clear that it takes a long time to realize it if you immediately know that the candlelight is fire, the meal was cooked a long time ago"(disappointed though that someone like Daniel could not understand it)

Just wanted to expand on the statement a bit, but the stuff in these simple statements can fill books. It is like capturing a river in a small box.

[Boondock28]

It's about keeping your mind open to infinite possibilities. And discovering things on your own not by what one tells you. Just like the quote there is many different answers that will eventually lead you to the great path. LOL