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Ignorance | Lacking the wisdom to know better
“The ignorance that influences the way we behave and engage with the world is active.” B. Alan Wallace, The Dalai Lama
Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge or awareness and wisdom is said to be its remedy.
We readily concede our lack of familiarity in certain subjects and fast to admit we can’t know it all.
But when it comes to everyday issues, we get caught up in events and usually act without thinking.
And the problem is that most of our decision making is based on rooted beliefs we’re barely aware of.
Because being rash is reckless
In fact, our subconscious is more often than not in control, and our mind is the one holding the wheel.
Unfortunately, if we’re not mindful of the processes taking place, we bear the results of our thoughtlessness.
We ourselves suffer the consequences and others might also pay the price of this unwise approach.
Keeping an open state of mind by recognizing that hasty judgments are risky is the best way to go.
Our ignorance is deeply ingrained
“This instinctive mind is the ignorance that you’re born with.” Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Gordon McDougall
Who’s to blame for our confusions if not that which reads into situations and comes to make assumptions.
Our mind can only draw on what it knows by using the information it has, which is to say our history.
Most of it has been there for ages, whether it has been fed by others or experienced firsthand.
Alas, the bulk of ideas and concepts that make our store consciousness influences analysis and perspective.
Misconceptions make sorry
Not knowing what the mind holds puts us at risk of falling into error, so be wary of misguided notions.
Besides, we might take the same faulty course of action again and again, as we fail to see the cause.
Not realizing the basis is flawed, we’ll blindly follow these guiding principles, which lead to sad results.
Our willingness to examine and reconsider world standpoints and ideals is a step in the right direction.
Ignorance lives in disregard
“Real ignorance is having no knowledge of yourself, no perception of how your mind works, of what your motives, your responses are.” Jiddu Krishnamurti
We affect every situation we enter the same as others have an effect on us and our environment.
If we’re oblivious of our interdependence, thinking solely of ourselves and our comfort, we’re wrong.
Believing that serving your needs first is the best way to survive is a symptom of the ignorant mind.
One that feeds on ideas of competitivity and control and on deluded notions of an independent self.
A gross misunderstanding
The truth is we need each other to thrive, we are dependent on the benevolence of others to evolve.
There is no such thing as ‘Me Only’, the earlier we get we’re linked to each other the happier we’ll be.
Do not underestimate the power of thought, it can color everything in the right or the wrong light.
If your beliefs are not in line with the nature of life, start by determining they need to be corrected.
The ignorant lives in confusion
“The ignorant see a mirage in the hot season and call it water, but the wise see through it and know that it is not water.” Tony Page, Kosho Yamamoto
Ignorance not only shapes how we construe the world but also impacts our interpretation of feelings.
It regards what yields positive feelings, shuns that which causes negative feelings, and is blind to the rest.
Focused on extremes, it’s totally absorbed with ideas of happiness and suffering, fixated on the drama.
The ignorant does not grasp that most of our lives we spend in neutral feelings, it always needs more.
Manic in every sense
In effect ignorance overblows everything out of proportion, pulling us from one pole to the next.
So, we’re sad and angry or we’re happy and ecstatic and that’s all we can think about all day, that’s not fun.
Until we understand how feelings come about and change, we’ll stay on edge and that’s exhausting.
Therefore, look at how strong feelings arise and go, and realize that neutral is more of the norm.
Ignorance is oriented towards the past
“The only obstacle is ignorance, this refusal to look at our unfinished business.” Pema Chodron
All that has brought us grief is carefully stored away for later use and that serves to evaluate today.
If we are not aware that our mind is always busy comparing what is with what was, we’re in trouble.
Thus, the burdens of yesterday function to save us of future problems or so it seems, but it doesn’t…
Not only it isn’t helpful, it strips us of the freedom to experience moments from a fresh perspective.
Everything is misrepresented
Our mind uses shortcuts to read the cues it collects through the senses, a swift but sloppy strategy.
Its rulings are the result of quick appraisals, of which we’re unaware, and their validity is questionable.
For one, these are based on past events stored in memory that become distorted as months go by.
Likewise, it doesn’t weight in the element of time, although you might have changed in every aspect.
Unconscious of the expiration date
“We fail to act with wisdom when our minds are governed by ignorance.” Traleg Kyabgon
Ignorance holds-on objects and that brings about unhealthy behaviors such as grasping and clinging.
It believes in the fairy tale of ‘forever after’ and does not consider the obvious, everything must end.
When things don’t work out or change to the point of no return it gets angry, jealous and possessive.
Sadly, these breed mistrust and bitterness which makes matters worse, and aggravates the situation.
Ignorance does not see the temporary
One oppressed by ignorance is not in his right mind since it’s infatuated with gross misconceptions.
Once we’re overwhelmed by delusions, we’re not able to see through our own erroneous beliefs.
We’re unable to appreciate the impermanent nature of the objects of our liking and our disliking.
What’s more we’re incapable of seeing how we ourselves made the decision to label them that way.
The Antidote to ignorance is wisdom
“The reason that we meditate is to transform our confused mind: to change our ignorance into wisdom, our erroneous beliefs into true knowledge.” Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
To deal our lack of knowledge, we need to do the inventory of all that we believe as true and question it.
To do so we have to be attentive, aware of what is going on in our mind and see how it affects us.
Lacking mindfulness we won’t be able to see through the maze of information and our inquiry will fail.
Not only that, we must dig deeper and take apart our grand philosophies to check if they are sound.
Training in wisdom leads to insight
We begin by accepting our shortcomings, if we’re sure we got it right we won’t get far, so be humble.
What we do not want is to add mistaken views on top misconstrued ideas, our wish is to grow in understanding.
Wisdom is attained through insight meditation which bring light into the mechanisms of our mind.
These techniques demand patience for some of our inner most notions are subtle, have faith and trust the process.
Working with what we’ve got is using the ignorant mind to transform it, to better our choices and bring about the right results.
Nathalie Bizawi, founder of Wisdom & Mindfulness meditation center. Senior Meditation, Mindfulness and philosophy instructor, From Wingate Academic College. M.A in Education from TAU University, Tel Aviv.
Wisdom & Mindfulness your meditation center in Tel Aviv