It is not just a set of facts. It is not just a wisdom set. Not just a lexicon, a data set or a knowledge-base. It is for all intents and purposes, a quandary. A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation. And life is a difficult situation. We need to have accurate information in order to live properly and function appropriately in life. We need, knowledge. And knowledge is not just information, not just experience, and not just wisdom. But a blending of the two.
It is also a process. It is how we get there and how we reroute when we get off track. It is also who we are. We need not only to be right and succeed, we need to make mistakes, to disagree, to debate. But it is also important for us to allow others to view this process and when possible, while it is still in process.
I've tried to do this. I've also had people accuse me of ego for it. It is not ego to share process. It is education, "enhanced information". And education leads (can lead) to knowledge.
My ex-wife thought we should never show ignorance to our children. I heartily disagreed. To always look perfect is to teach imperfection. To show imperfection and how to deal with it is to teach how to strive toward perfection (an unattainable goal but something to shoot for), while not concerning oneself with never being perfect. Or a fear of simply not being perfect.
Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism has at its core, debate, for a reason. Without debate at the core of our knowledge we can find ourselves stuck in that horror of horrors religion finds itself in, time and again. That of being static to the point of not seeing reality for our beliefs. Missing the "forest for the trees."
So go forward and make mistakes. Disagree. Not for the sake of simply being contrary, but for the sake of seeking the Truth in its various shades. Be proud of your ignorance for it is a noble condition everyone everywhere has been in and will always remain in.
We all start there, but hopefully will not end up there. Although one might realize as one learns, that the more one learns the less one knows, in the end if you have worked hard, listened, debated, analyzed, experienced, you may well end up more ignorant than where you started.
My ex-wife thought we should never show ignorance to our children. I heartily disagreed. To always look perfect is to teach imperfection. To show imperfection and how to deal with it is to teach how to strive toward perfection (an unattainable goal but something to shoot for), while not concerning oneself with never being perfect. Or a fear of simply not being perfect.
Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism has at its core, debate, for a reason. Without debate at the core of our knowledge we can find ourselves stuck in that horror of horrors religion finds itself in, time and again. That of being static to the point of not seeing reality for our beliefs. Missing the "forest for the trees."
So go forward and make mistakes. Disagree. Not for the sake of simply being contrary, but for the sake of seeking the Truth in its various shades. Be proud of your ignorance for it is a noble condition everyone everywhere has been in and will always remain in.
We all start there, but hopefully will not end up there. Although one might realize as one learns, that the more one learns the less one knows, in the end if you have worked hard, listened, debated, analyzed, experienced, you may well end up more ignorant than where you started.
But you will still not be ignorant in the same way as when you began.
It is in holding Truth as our destination and our path that we become our most alive in this world. In this Universe. But do not let Truth be your only goal, or the pursuit of Truth will make you rigid. It is for that reason that the Buddhist Koan exists:
It is in holding Truth as our destination and our path that we become our most alive in this world. In this Universe. But do not let Truth be your only goal, or the pursuit of Truth will make you rigid. It is for that reason that the Buddhist Koan exists:
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