I Don’t Know

They say knowledge is power.  If your aspirations are of this world, then yes.  Knowledge ties you to time, space, and materiality.  Some seek knowledge in order to gain wealth or control, but even if one is after knowledge for its own sake, it’s hard to stay humble.  We can see that in proud pundits and academics who are so invested in their knowledge that they become rather dogmatic, unwilling to consider any other points of view.  To paraphrase German physicist Max Planck, science advances one funeral at a time.

For mystics, paradox is a welcomed feature of existence.  So, what kind of power resides in not knowing?  This isn’t about being ignorant, it is about consciously opening up to the simplicity of “I don’t know.”  There is tremendous freedom in sinking inwardly into that.

When you know, or think you know, then you automatically close off any possibility.  Take a simple example, if you know your name then you will be shut off from being called by any other name.  What is true with your name is true with how you perceive profound realities as well.  With “I know” there is a contraction, with “I don’t know” there is an expansion.  You can see this for yourself with a simple meditation.

Sitting comfortably, and taking some deep cleansing breaths, relax the whole mind and body.  Now simply say “I don’t know” silently to yourself.  Drop all pre-conceived notions and sink into the expansiveness of now knowing.  Feel yourself opening up to any possibility and all potential.  Sit here for a while, with just open curiosity and absence of identifications.  After a while, do you feel your heart welcoming?  Does a smile form on your face?  Is there joy arising?  There’s something liberating about just sitting with the pure potentiality of not knowing.

The mind will always dissect and classify.  It will filter and give dimension.  A conscious meditation on “I don’t know” puts the mind’s machinations at rest and allows what always is to arise and be noted.  Just let everything remain a hypothesis and relish the freedom from absolutes.  There’s a reason why the anonymous mystic from the 14^th century called his book, “The Cloud of Unknowing.”

Here is a related article: https://celebrateyoga.org/joy-not-knowing/

Watch video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytzus4yHmQ0