These words of wisdom from Lama Surya Das attempt to answer the question, “What is wisdom?”
Lama Surya Das was born Jeffrey Miller in Brooklyn, New York and became a lama after studying in the Tibetan tradition for more than 20 years.
He teaches the wisdom of dzogchen – a Tibetan word that means Great Perfection. It is a meditation practice that helps us recognize our true nature.
This is one of the world’s timeless Big Questions.
Wisdom is an endangered natural resource today, in our agitated and benighted world. We overlook and ignore it at our peril.
Wisdom is as wisdom does. One would be foolish if enlightened only from the eyebrows up. Wisdom is the panacean pearl of great price, and priceless too. Wisdom can be developed, and it can also be awakened within us. Working from both ends or sides—from outside in, or from top down as well as from bottom up, swooping while climbing—we can gradually explore, develop and attain discerning wisdom through information and learning, first, then investigation and inquiry, analysis, reflection and contemplation, leading to greater conceptual understanding, self-awareness and application (in daily life), integration realization, illumination, gnosis, and ultimately “the wisdom which surpasses understanding.”
Meanwhile, we can attend mindfully to things and relations, causes and effects in such a way as to awaken our direct intuition and an instantaneous, unmediated (by thought and concept) holistic grasp of the entire situation. As the ancient Chinese saying goes: She who knows the world has knowledge, she who knows herself is wise.
With love,
Surya
Wisdom teachings come from everywhere. If you have been following this blog for any length of time you are aware of the wisdom teachings of the Buddha, especially as expressed by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Some of you may recall that I mentioned the wisdom teachings of Father Eli, which is not totally different from Buddha’s and comes from Western Europe. These teachings are related to shamanic teachings from indigenous people all over the world. See, for example, Guided Meditation And Shamanic Healing.
Gabrielle Roth and I were inspired by the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, which came from many masters from many traditions. I loved them both dearly and continue to be influenced by what they taught.
What wisdom teachings turn you on? Please share!
