The term "Gnostic" comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means "knowledge." Unlike scientific or rational knowledge, gnosis refers to experiential, reflective, and intuitive knowledge. To the Gnostics, knowing oneself at the deepest level is identical to knowing God. The teacher Theodotus defined a Gnostic as one who understands our ultimate origins, our current state, our release, birth, and rebirth. The teacher Monoimus advised seekers to abandon the external search for God and instead look within themselves as the starting point, discovering that God is found by carefully investigating the sources of one's own emotions, thoughts, and soul. In Gnostic texts, the "living Jesus" does not focus on sin and repentance to save humanity. Instead, he acts as a spiritual guide leading disciples to enlightenment. Once a disciple achieves this enlightenment, they become equal and identical to Jesus, who is no longer their master. Orthodox Christians view Jesus as uniquely divine and forever distinct from humanity. However, the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas suggests that Jesus and his followers share the exact same source of existence. In the gnostic texts enlightenment, illusion, and a spiritual guide rather sound closely aligned with Eastern philosophies like Buddhism or Hinduism. The scholar Edward Conze is cited, suggesting that historical trade routes allowed Buddhists to come into direct contact with Thomas Christians in South India.