WordPress offers this topic for today’s Post A Day 2011 exercise:
Is it always better to know the truth, even when it hurts? Or is ignorance bliss? Or are they both true some of the time?
I thought this would be a quick, easy post – short and to the point. But the more I think about it, the longer it’s getting… So I’ll get the short and to-the-point bit out of the way in the beginning, and save the personal-experience bit for the end, for those who have the time. There’s also a link to one of my videos down there – thank you if you have the time to check it out!
Last fall I created a series of inspirational cards about Using The Mind (the images can be found on Flickr), and one of the cards elicited a number of questions:
“Accepting Ignorance Is The First Step Towards Damnation.”
Several people asked about the use of the word “damnation”…
It’s a strong word; thinking about damnation probably falls way down near the bottom on most people’s to-do list.
I was given the word, and questioned it myself at first…
(It came from one of my guides; I talk about him a little in this post on my other blog)
I think I was given such a strong word precisely so that it would catch attention and encourage people to think and question.
“Damnation” refers to the state of mind in which we seem to find ourselves in constant, pervasive conflict with the world around us. In this state, we struggle continuously against the lessons that come our way.
“Accepting Ignorance” refers to the state of mind in which we feel we must submit to the expectations of others without questioning.
As we go through life, if we take the view that every experience offers a lesson intended to lead us to true happiness, we can refresh our feelings about the challenges we face.
Zen koans lead us to understanding in a similar way: the teacher poses a question… We quickly find out that we can’t reason our way to the “answer”… we might even get angry and frustrated that the answer’s not coming freely… finally we realize we need to “go inside” to get to our own answer. And our answer might be different from another’s… Damn.
Life resembles a vast, unrelenting koan. Again, again, again, we run into riddles. How do I answer that question my boss just asked? Do I let the baby cry himself asleep? Is red meat really bad for me… always? Who on earth should I vote for?
If we expect clear-cut answers that arrive effortlessly, we’re damned.
Damnation and Hell are states of mind. Ignorance is a state of mindlessness.
We can find ourselves living in a quiet, subtle hell if we live a life that goes against our grain, without questioning and being willing to take risks in order to extricate ourselves from that hell.
Here comes the personal-experience part…
Sometimes in life, we’re faced with situations in which we must make decisions, and we really wonder about the consequences. For instance, I was a Buddhist nun for 4-1/2 years, and in the tradition I had joined, to “disrobe” means certain damnation (in the sense of going to “hell”)…
(btw, Buddhist traditions vary on their views on this matter, not all hold this belief)
I enjoyed being a nun, and I really did expect to continue nun-hood for the rest of my life. I love teaching and helping others, and it seemed I had found a wonderful outlet for that. As the years passed and I gained more experience in the more advanced teachings (emptiness, Vajrayana, etc.), I began to feel called to move back out into the “world”, and connect more with people who might not be drawn to formal Buddhism. I had found that with some people, the robes and shaved head created unnecessary distance. Or worse, a sort of reverence that was bestowed arbitrarily. Robes=perfection. Not true. Need to question.
I began to see that I was most likely going to decide to return my vows.
I considered the decision for about a year… I had been reading, studying, meditating, teaching, practicing for several years. Making spiritual progress was really what mattered to me most. For a few years, I had been nearing the conclusion that my Guides (whom I had met through that tradition) were pointing me in the direction of moving beyond that tradition. Did that make sense?
Conflict and contradiction presented themselves constantly. I felt I knew clearly what my next step needed to be, but it didn’t make sense that it would involve cutting away from my beloved friends and teachers (another tenet of that tradition is that if you “disrobe” you must separate from the community completely for at least a year afterwards), and subjecting myself to a state of “damnation”.
That lead me to think a lot, that year, about the nature of “damnation”. And “Hell”. And that’s how I arrived at the understanding I share above.
I realized that the real shame, the real damnation, would be if I chose adhering to expectations (including mine) over continuing to learn and grow, and venturing into the unknown.
So I took the step outside the circle. I knew I was well-guided, and that eventually I would find a way to connect directly with those who could help me the most. I could feel the invisible hand, and that it belonged to a “being” that was more vast, profound, and powerful than words, images, or music could describe. I knew we would meet, and that we would meet on a ground that was free from the constraints of any formal religion or doctrine.
And we did meet, after a bit of stumbling.
In the three years since I returned my vows, I’ve discovered that the rocky road can lead to peace. I’ve learned that intention is everything, and as long as we strive to improve ourselves, be kind to others, and give when we can, then a state which others may perceive as “damnation” can feel like a profound blessing.
Knowing that you’re guided is the most important point to understanding that damnation is only for the ignorant, those who refuse to question. Our guides pose the riddles that we ponder day and night, and if we hold this view, it can help us understand that even the most baffling and painful challenges are lessons that are as illusory as dreams.
I’ve been making videos to share some of what I’ve learned, and this one uses the ideas from the “Using The Mind” card series. It’s almost 5 minutes long, and each of the 12 points is intended to provoke thought, rather than provide pat answers or “instructions”. If you find the time to watch it, I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful. I’ve almost completed another video, titled “Vows”… you can guess what that one explores!
Thanks to everyone reading these blogs – I feel so fortunate to have found a way to share, and if it manages to help anyone – in even the smallest way – to discover more happiness, then… very good! In turn, I have my guides to thank, for showing me that anything is possible.
[…] see that I was in no danger. Ever since that Dream I have had a clear understanding that all of my experiences are lessons. This knowledge offers powerful guidance for […]
Thank you for sharing this video. I have watched it and written things down and taken them into sohbet (quiet listening) with me and your right, confusion is a thing to accept at a certain level sometimes. Most things are answered in time and questioning is our part in growing spiritually and keeping an openness to the answer we are seeking as well. What I mean by openness is to say void anything out because you think it is wrong or bad. Growing means pushing our boundaries till we have none. Most of the time when we find things are difficult, it is because it is time for a change or a new experience which will always hurt or be uncomfortable at first but usually in our true acceptence of the lesson there is peace. Stubbornness is pure discontentment and will never bring peace.
For you to make that change for your spiritual growth into an unknown took courage and a great deal of Trust. You are open to your lessons with a softness that is refreshing.
Thank you for sharing……
Thank you for sharing this video. I have watched it and written things down and taken them into sohbet (quiet listening) with me and your right, confusion is a thing to accept at a certain level or time. Most things are answered with time and questioning is our part in growing spiritually and keeping an openness to the answers we are seeking as well. What I mean by openness is to remain open to ALL answers and not void anything out because we think it is wrong or bad due to a rule or law or consensus. Growing means pushing our boundaries till we have none. Most of the time when we find things are difficult, it is because it is time for a change or a new experience which will always hurt or be uncomfortable at first but usually in our true acceptence of the lesson there is peace. Stubbornness is pure discontentment and will never bring peace.
For you to make that change for your spiritual growth into an unknown took courage and a great deal of Trust. You are open to your lessons with a softness that is refreshing.
Thank you for sharing……
what a beautiful comment, thank you! (I deleted the earlier one :)
Sorry, the second comment submitted is corrected. I had an incomplete thought and wording didn’t make sense.
took care of that! thank you for your thoughtfulness :)
Your cards are wonderful and the video beautiful and inspiring, it has great flow, I loved it!
thank you so much!
dear and divine…. there is no way to express absolute truth or no truth…but one can feel like present….. the truth…the timelessness…oneness …..many refer as enlightenment……
hey there! i found this post very nice and beneficial. I’ve walked those paths, many of them. Jesus, Krsna, Allah, flew right passed Buddishm…didn’t get it…and now the Bhrama Kumaris.
Initially, in the beginning, especially with Jesus, all sorts of things happened. I was ‘there’, in it.
Increasingly, I am outside looking in.
Honestly, I’m un-happy with my life and can’t understand how I came to be here.
I still feel the hand of those/that who guides me, but not deeply. I feel it like it’s second nature, like breathing, but I can’t remember the last time I felt my life. I felt direction. I felt a reason.
Odd eh?
Anyway, here we are, well done on getting to a week (almost I think now eh…). On, on, you’ve got customers!
It’s uncanny… I’m finding I draft posts at night that align with comments and posts that show up from my buddies the next morning… cool! (You’ll know what I mean if I manage to get that one online today ;)
I hadn’t heard of BK before, took a quick look… seems like a well-developed presentation, sophisticated website.
The place you describe sounds much like where I was a few years ago… I just kept asking, persistently, to understand and connect… So now I would say to anyone to be careful what you ask for, lol! Just kidding… it sounds trite, but I truly believe that there are no real mistakes (just diversions), and we will all – steadily, if gradually – arrive at understanding.
I have a feeling you’re getting close to finding that direction and reason. You have much to offer the world!
Thanks for commenting on my blog post comment, I appreciate. In summary though, what is your “personal blog” about?
Hi, Reuben!
My personal blog is fairly random, a sort of catch-all… I have a more focused blog (http://allaboutenlightenment.wordpress.com/) which presents my understanding of some of the most esoteric Buddhist teachings. My goal is to put slippery concepts into terms that can be understood (or at least contemplated, considered) by people who might not be familiar with Buddhism. I hesitate to even to call it Buddhism, because it can be applied to anything… But we all seem to prefer categories as points of departure :)
Best wishes & thanks!
thank you so much leslee, (and guides) both this post and the video touched me so deeply, as I am really in a state of transformation, that is actually quite painful in many ways.
Pain is not a negative for me, but it still hurts!! lol
You’re so welcome, and you are so right!
I have an entire book’s worth of material that touches on much of this in more detail, that I was given over the past year… I started blogging in order to make it available to anyone who “might” find it… Now we’ve met, and I cannot seem to post it up fast enough, lol! What I love is that it’s almost like we’re moving in tandem, and you’re six steps ahead of me, urging me on. So, thank you for that, from the depths of my heart! You’re my guiding beacon.
When I “disappear”, it’s usually because I’m trying to get more posts ready… I feel somewhat of an urgency this week, because it looks like I might be going back into the “work-force” soon, and I shudder to think how that will affect my schedule. Maybe it’s my guides telling me to accept that I cannot post a year’s worth of lessons in a month, lol… That would be like them, to do that…