IGNORANCE IS INTELLIGENCE

Ignorance is intelligence when you use your intellect to be ignorant. 

In this age of Internet, with instant access to abundance of information, ignorance is the most essential tool people need to find peace and happiness; yes, it’s a tool and it needs intelligence to use it!  Information in itself is not knowledge, but with intellect knowledge is derived from information.  Once the information is in your head, often you don’t have control over what knowledge will be derived from it.  Knowing is not always a good thing; knowing wrong things is always a bad thing.

It is naïve and egoistic to think that we are all capable of absorbing all information and deal with the knowledge that we gain from it.  The truth is very far from it.  Today, in this information age, more people suffer and live unhappy, with fear and uncertain outlook of their future, from KNOWING than NOT KNOWING.

Not long ago, the smart and intelligent ones that migrated from villages and country living to the cities and towns were the fortunate ones who found happiness and prosperity.  The ones that stayed back, with their simple living, often in ignorance and poverty, were the losers.  This judgment is clearly questionable now.  Many of the educated and smart ones in the cities are just as unhappy, as they KNOW the million things that could go wrong with their life; they live in fear and uncertainty.  They can’t deal with the things they KNOW.

So, you suffer from KNOWING or you suffer from NOT KNOWING.  Why is our education and intelligence failing us? Is there a way out from this suffering? 

Yes, there is a way; it is using your intelligence to be ignorant.  It is the age old doctrine of “See no evil; Hear no evil; Speak no evil”, properly adapted to the Internet age.  Use you intelligence to filter information; sort those matter to your life TODAY from those that don’t matter to you TODAY.  Don’t seek, read or hear unnecessary information.  For most people, watching the 6 o’clock news doesn’t keep them abreast of what’s going on in this world; it induces more fear and uncertainty in their head.  Surfing the Net and reading assorted (may be) facts that are interesting can do more harm than good.

What information you need is something only you know, based on your life, lifestyle, and profession.  You need to use your intelligence to be ignorant of all other information.  Choosing to KNOW, with the belief that you could deal with the knowledge that comes from the unnecessary information is naïve gambling.

Your thoughts and actions are largely influenced by what you learn through seeing, hearing, and speaking.  Be ignorant when you need to be; choose when to use your eyes, ears, and voice.  Then ignorance is bliss, and it brings you peace and happiness.

It is not without reason the three monkeys in this image are often referred to as “The three wise monkeys”!

Ignorance is intelligence when you use your intellect to be ignorant.

Einstein’s Spiritual Theory of Relativity

Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity has revolutionized the scientific world’s understating of physics, and has been the root of several fundamental discoveries, inventions, and technological marvels of the modern world.  Yet, it has been limited in scope since it is studied, explored, and understood only by scientists; it is considered beyond the scope of what an ordinary folk can understand.

How naïve?  Einstein was not just a scientist – he was one of the greatest philosophers of our time whose spiritual wisdom reflected in all his theories and discoveries.  Here are Einstein’s views on religion and spirituality:

“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”

“Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.”

Now keeping that in mind, if we look at Einstein’s theory of relativity, we can see that it actually states the fundamental theory of life and the Creator (Universe).  His special theory of relativity states:

1. The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion relative to one another (principle of relativity),
2. The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion or of the motion of the source of the light.

Physics is not simply a field of study in science; it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.  Keeping that broader perspective of physics and the spiritual nature of Einstein, here’s what the two statements of the theory of relativity translate to:

1.  Nature treats all life forms impartially and equally.  What one experiences depends on what he compares his experiences to.  One understands the impartiality of the Nature when their perspective is same as that of the other.
2. God or the Creator (light) appears the same for everyone, irrespective of their perspectives, in their conscious (the vacuum).  It is not affected by comparison and it is the same, irrespective of whose conscious the source may be.

There it is – simple and profound.  All experiences of human are relative.  One can change their experience, while experiencing and after the experience, simply by changing the relativity.  Or one can nullify an experience or all experiences in life by removing the relativity – that is by not comparing it to anyone or anything.

The basic quality of a compassionate person is their ability to change the relativity and align it with that of others, thereby experiencing and feeling the same as others.

Anyone and everyone can see, feel, and perceive God by looking at their inner light, the conscious.  It will never be affected or influenced by the happening of the external world.  The conscious is always pure.  The inner light is the God, which is beyond comparison – according to Einstein’s spiritual theory of relativity.

Truth vs. Dharma: Is telling a lie bad Karma?

Is telling the truth important always?  Is it alright to lie when it is convenient?  What is Dharma or the right answer here?

Contrary to what your instincts might tell you, the later is Dharma, often.  Of course, it depends on who is the beneficiary of the lie and if there is a victim.  There is a simple rule to figure out if telling a lie is Dharma (the right thing to do).  The three operative words here are "convenience", "beneficiary", and “victim”.  Beneficiary is the one who benefits from the "lie"; one who stands to gain material or intangible benefits; one who might be saved from misery or agony or danger from knowing or revealing the truth.  Victim is the sufferer due to the “lie”. Convenience is from the point of view of the "liar".

The rule is simple.  If the sole beneficiary is the liar or if the sole reason to tell a lie is convenience, then it is not Dharma.  In all other scenarios it is Dharma, if there are no victims.

So, go ahead and lie!  But do this simple test before doing so that you follow Dharma and do not accumulate Karma!!

Spirituality and the Spiritual Path for the 21st Century

Spirituality has traditionally been tightly associated with religion. A religious person is considered to be spiritual and a spiritual person is considered to be religious. To a large extent both of these statements were true in the past, though spirituality is not the same as religiosity.

Meditation has been the core aspect of spiritual quest. Meditation is also the central aspect of all eastern religions.They meditate upon God as prescribed by the religion. Meditation was confined to religion. In the last fifty years many spiritual leaders from India have packaged Meditation without the religious elements and presented it to the world as Yoga practice. It became instantly popular in the western world since it did not require understanding of any eastern religion. During the last century many forms of meditation have made way into common man’s life. Many started practicing some form of meditation, primarily to experience inner peace irrespective of the external world and the events. Some take it further to experience the spiritual ecstasy; the sensational Kundalini energy flow.


But spirituality still remains an integral part of religion; sharing the same goal of “search for the Absolute or God or the Inner-Self”. The separately packaged meditation tends to drive one into isolation, by meditating for inner peace. At best most of the people who practice these packaged meditation methods are confined to their own groups; not much different from religious groups or cults. Often they are indifferent to the world and others outside their group. It is just a group activity for many of them – a group meditation or bajan. Some of the spiritual leaders who advance these packaged meditation methods advocate and engage in other activities outside of their own group, such as community service by providing healthcare and education to the needy. But the involvement of the individuals practicing meditation is often limited to monetary contribution to these causes rather than personal involvement.

So, did the world become a better place to live by the spreading and the popularity of spirituality via meditation? To many, spirituality still means ‘search for the Absolute or the Inner self’ -- A mistaken definition. Religion is “search for the Absolute” and spirituality is ‘the attributes of the one who found the Absolute or inner-self!’ Religion and meditation are the most circuitous paths to spirituality. Most don’t attain it.

For spiritually to reach the masses and have a positive influence in the state of the world today, one needs to go back to the original meaning of spirituality, which has nothing to do with religion or self-realization through meditation; it was just that spiritual persons also turned out to be religious persons. A religious person was considered a spiritual person when he or she has attained a higher level of consciousness that is expressed by their selfless actions and service to others. He may be considered to have reached this higher level of consciousness by religious studies or by meditation.But he is considered spiritual not because he is religious, but because of his selfless actions and service! 

Spirituality is loving all beings including oneself, equally. Treating all including oneself, with respect, compassion and love. When one practices it, he or she is a spiritual person. If spirituality really spreads and becomes popular the world will become a better place.


So, what is the new path to Spirituality that is not only conducive to the 21^st century but is also needed desperately to balance the world and bring peace and harmony? It is the path based on direct approach to spirituality – not based on religion or meditation or any dogma.  

‘Love and treat others the way you would like them to love and treat you’. Nothing new, but this is the essence of spirituality and spiritual practice. Easy to say or preach but difficult to practice. The 21^st century needs this direct approach, to the point. We need simple guidelines to follow in making our mundane daily decisions to complex life changing decisions. It shouldn’t be trivialized to a set of guidelines for self-improvement. It should make a person truly spiritual, with all the attributes of a religious spiritual person, without the religious aspects. He or she should radiate positive energy, love and compassion that are instantly felt by the people around. It should make a person find inner-peace and universal wisdom. It cannot be taught by a book or video on self-improvement.

So, what are these guidelines? How can it be taught or communicated to people? Why would they follow it? How will it make them truly spiritual? Not an easy task to answer these questions or putting them into practice. But it can be done, especially now, since all the right ingredients are in place.

First ingredient is the demand. The need for spirituality is apparent. The world is in turmoil; violence and poverty, driven by religious fanaticism, corporate greed, and socio-economic disparities. The next important ingredient is the raw materials to build a solution to meet the demand. It is becoming available rapidly in the name of green revolution; yes, respect and love for nature is on the rise worldwide and inadvertently even the corporate world is contributing to it.

The new 21^st century path to spirituality is to ‘love and respect nature’. It is not difficult. The more you learn about nature the more you will appreciate it; admire it. Respect for nature will develop automatically. You will see the beauty in nature; you will see the harmony in nature; you will see the serenity and peace in nature. You will fall in love with nature. You will see yourself as nature. You will see others as nature. You will realize that everything you can see, feel, touch, taste, or perceive is part of nature – the ultimate realization of a spiritually evolved person. You will have all the attributes and benefits of being a spiritually evolved person; peace of mind, healthy body, enjoyable relationships, successful career, wonderful friends, and more. You will be practicing, unconsciously, the motto ‘Love and treat others the way you would like them to love and treat you’.

All this will happen just by constantly learning more about nature and thinking more about nature. Being in constant contact with nature is very easy and can fit anyone’s lifestyle or beliefs or interests. Nature is inherently beautiful and attractive. Once you notice it you can’t take it off from your mind.

But the term ‘love Nature’ may be too vague or too broad for many people. We need simple techniques to learn to love nature. Nature is not simply forests and oceans. Nature is everything; plants, birds, animals, people, trees, mountains, air, fire, water, space, stars, the sun, sky, and more. There is beauty in each and every one of these.  A simple technique is to take any one of nature’s creations that you find attractive to you and learn more about it. How is that created or born? How did it get its beautiful looks? What does it need for sustenance? What does it provide to other nature’s creations? How does it help other nature’s creations? How does it coexist with other nature’s creations?You don’t have to find definitive answers to these questions, but must just pursue. You many get many answers for some questions and no answer some questions. But you will learn more about it. 

Substitute your meditation that emphasizes thoughtless state of mind with focused thoughts on the life and existence of the nature’s creation you are learning about. Close your eyes, just as you would for meditation, and drive your imaginations and thoughts towards the topic you are pursuing. Your goal is not a thoughtless state of mind, but one with deep thoughts about a nature’s creation. You will develop respect and love towards it. In that process you will notice some of the other creations of nature and develop the same interest, respect and love for it. Soon, you start treating yourself and the people around you with the same respect and love. You will become a spiritually evolved person, radiating peace, harmony, and love. And the resulting inner peace you get from this transformation will be far deeper than what you might get from meditation. It will stay with you even after you have stopped meditating.

Anybody can find one thing in nature to love and respect; soon they’ll find the second; and the third; and themselves; and others.

The new 21^st century path to spirituality is ‘Love Nature’ to love thyself and others.