Ignorance

The dictionary defines ignorance as a lack of information, knowledge or understanding about something. Probably, another simpler word to define ignorance is "not knowing". There are lots of things we know but when it comes to the word "knowing", are we knowing correctly or incorrectly? That is a tricky question since we can be knowing something but knowing it incorrectly. And that itself is ignorance too, though we "know". Or, rather we are being deluded to think we know but we don't.

There are so many things in the world we are ignorant about. Some of those things are areas we need not know since it does not matter to us nor concern our lives. Yet, there are some serious matters we truly need to know as they help us to live a better life. I have to say meditation is part of that. Not the kind of meditation as in sitting cross-legged and watching the breath. Meditation, most of the time, has been wrongly perceived as a religious duty or even a spiritual practice. Or, meditation is only for those who have mental stress and need a fix. Because of these ideas, meditation is not something we have to do and that leads us to a certain kind of ignorance with regards to ourselves. So, what kind of meditation am I talking about here?

It is with regards to becoming aware of our minds. Why does knowing our mind matter? Lots. We all know we have a mind and we all know we cannot omit the mind from our experiences. Yet, we seldom know what the mind is, what it constitutes and how it works. There is a kind of ignorance hovering in our mind. When we do not know what the mind is doing to us, our mental wellbeing is being compromised. We may think it is the outside world that is causing us the stress yet unbeknown to us, it is our mind that is determining how we go about living our lives and how our quality of life is being shaped by it.

We then begin to know the mind better, no longer ignorant about it. Yet, there is another aspect of the mind which each of us will find out one day – another kind of ignorance that is inherently already running our mind which we are not aware of. This ignorance makes us see things wrongly instead of wisely. It makes us think who we are though we are not. Suffice to say, it makes us turn away from reality and instead produce a false state which we have unknowingly taken as real.

Beginning to explore the mindscape can be very rewarding, not to mention the ending of all the unnecessary suffering that we have carried in the past due to ignorance. The earlier you know about the workings of the mind and its inherent ignorance, the better off your life will be. Until then, any situation that is beyond your control can spark off unnecessary suffering. Do join us in the coming new season of Mindfulness–A Starting Point as we introduce you to get to know your own mind better.

In grace,
Tuck Loon
on behalf of The WISE Team
Newsletter 16 May 2021