We have often heard the term, Knowledge is power. Well, readers may think I am being crazy to write about Ignorance. Let me develop the article and hopefully readers will agree with the thought process.
I would like to start with an illustration and build the concept. Assume it is a dark rainy night and you are walking along a narrow unpaved road. It is the dull moonlight that appears occasionally that is showing the road. Suddenly you freeze. You spot something on the road. It appears thin, cylindrical and whitish and is stretched across the road. All your fears come true. There is a large snake stretched across the road and you stand totally frozen. As you are dumb struck with horrendous fear, there is a beam of light from another man behind you holding a torch. The beam points to the snake and to your utter relief, you realize it is just a rope.
Let us analyze what happened step by step.
1. There is darkness and hence there is ignorance.
2. Ignorance covers the true nature(that it is a rope)
3. Ignorance projects a total different reality(actually "un-reality") on the rope and makes it a snake
Try as much as one wants, with whatever knowledge, it is impossible to create a snake out of a rope, that too a snake that creates so much fear. However, ignorance made this possible, showing the power of ignorance in waking state.
The other day I was in a park playing with my little daughter. From a distance I saw my father entering the park. As soon as he saw my daughter, he started running towards her. Unfortunately he tripped and his head hit a stone and he started bleeding profusely. I held him and started shouting for someone to help. As I was shouting, I woke up from a dream. Well, my father has long left this world. In my dream, I created a park, made my child go back in age several years and brought back my dad to life. If I had knowledge in my dream, there is no way I could have created all this. It was only due to massive ignorance of reality that I could create an alternate universe.
Now, let us see the most powerful capabilities of ignorance. Starting from first principles, why am I born in this world? I am born to experience the fruit of the seeds I have planted in my earlier births. Readers would be aware based on my earlier blogs that unfulfilled desires and the universal law of karma that one shall get an equal reaction for every action done with an intent, cause birth in a particular form.
Now, what causes intentional action or unfulfilled desires? The reality is that there is only one Supreme Truth or Consciousness. Its nature is permanent bliss. By itself it is complete and does not need anything more. However, by a strange quirk, it is the innate nature of consciousness to have Ignorance. Just as it is the innate nature of the desert to have a mirage; Just as it is the innate nature of the mind to fool itself in a dream. Just as it is the innate nature of the rope to appear like a snake. But, please note that in all this, the fault is not with the "actor". The desert has not caused the mirage, but without it, there is no mirage. The rope has not caused the snake, but without rope, there is no snake. In all these cases, it is ignorance of reality which has veiled the reality and projected an unreal thing on the reality. Similarly, ignorance causes a projection of an unreal world on the base provided by consciousness and in this world, there is a set of likes/dislikes. There is intentional action to fill a void created by separation from the Supreme. There is a need to acquire objects to fill the vacuum and this drives the action. However, every desire cannot be fulfilled and rebirth happens to enable an entity to experience its desires. So, the power of ignorance creates a separation from the Supreme and creates the cycle of birth and death.
If ignorance is so powerful, were the people who said, knowledge is power, fools? Not at all. Knowledge is still powerful. However, we are not talking of the worldly knowledge of science, geography etc. We are talking of the knowledge of reality, the knowledge of the Self, the knowledge that my real nature is pure consciousness and I am not the puny individual. Where does this knowledge exist? Every major religion has been telling the same principles. However, because it is difficult to comprehend and experience, it has remained an esoteric knowledge leading to the power of ignorance. Once convinced, I request people to have that initial faith in what I told and take the first step to access the great scriptures. The scriptures then will remove ignorance layer by layer and restore the practitioner to his true state of infinite bliss.
As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.
I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.
1. My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
2. Attain Infinite Bliss
Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide
3. The Spirit Of Spirituality
The Spirit Of Spirituality
I would like to start with an illustration and build the concept. Assume it is a dark rainy night and you are walking along a narrow unpaved road. It is the dull moonlight that appears occasionally that is showing the road. Suddenly you freeze. You spot something on the road. It appears thin, cylindrical and whitish and is stretched across the road. All your fears come true. There is a large snake stretched across the road and you stand totally frozen. As you are dumb struck with horrendous fear, there is a beam of light from another man behind you holding a torch. The beam points to the snake and to your utter relief, you realize it is just a rope.
Let us analyze what happened step by step.
1. There is darkness and hence there is ignorance.
2. Ignorance covers the true nature(that it is a rope)
3. Ignorance projects a total different reality(actually "un-reality") on the rope and makes it a snake
Try as much as one wants, with whatever knowledge, it is impossible to create a snake out of a rope, that too a snake that creates so much fear. However, ignorance made this possible, showing the power of ignorance in waking state.
The other day I was in a park playing with my little daughter. From a distance I saw my father entering the park. As soon as he saw my daughter, he started running towards her. Unfortunately he tripped and his head hit a stone and he started bleeding profusely. I held him and started shouting for someone to help. As I was shouting, I woke up from a dream. Well, my father has long left this world. In my dream, I created a park, made my child go back in age several years and brought back my dad to life. If I had knowledge in my dream, there is no way I could have created all this. It was only due to massive ignorance of reality that I could create an alternate universe.
Now, let us see the most powerful capabilities of ignorance. Starting from first principles, why am I born in this world? I am born to experience the fruit of the seeds I have planted in my earlier births. Readers would be aware based on my earlier blogs that unfulfilled desires and the universal law of karma that one shall get an equal reaction for every action done with an intent, cause birth in a particular form.
Now, what causes intentional action or unfulfilled desires? The reality is that there is only one Supreme Truth or Consciousness. Its nature is permanent bliss. By itself it is complete and does not need anything more. However, by a strange quirk, it is the innate nature of consciousness to have Ignorance. Just as it is the innate nature of the desert to have a mirage; Just as it is the innate nature of the mind to fool itself in a dream. Just as it is the innate nature of the rope to appear like a snake. But, please note that in all this, the fault is not with the "actor". The desert has not caused the mirage, but without it, there is no mirage. The rope has not caused the snake, but without rope, there is no snake. In all these cases, it is ignorance of reality which has veiled the reality and projected an unreal thing on the reality. Similarly, ignorance causes a projection of an unreal world on the base provided by consciousness and in this world, there is a set of likes/dislikes. There is intentional action to fill a void created by separation from the Supreme. There is a need to acquire objects to fill the vacuum and this drives the action. However, every desire cannot be fulfilled and rebirth happens to enable an entity to experience its desires. So, the power of ignorance creates a separation from the Supreme and creates the cycle of birth and death.
If ignorance is so powerful, were the people who said, knowledge is power, fools? Not at all. Knowledge is still powerful. However, we are not talking of the worldly knowledge of science, geography etc. We are talking of the knowledge of reality, the knowledge of the Self, the knowledge that my real nature is pure consciousness and I am not the puny individual. Where does this knowledge exist? Every major religion has been telling the same principles. However, because it is difficult to comprehend and experience, it has remained an esoteric knowledge leading to the power of ignorance. Once convinced, I request people to have that initial faith in what I told and take the first step to access the great scriptures. The scriptures then will remove ignorance layer by layer and restore the practitioner to his true state of infinite bliss.
As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.
I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.
1. My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality
2. Attain Infinite Bliss
Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide
3. The Spirit Of Spirituality
The Spirit Of Spirituality
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