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Today's
Meditation:
In our culture, of course, we tend to use the word
"ignorant" as an insult, though the word has
negative connotations only if we perceive it to have
them. An ignorant person is simply someone who
doesn't know something-- for example, I'm completely
ignorant when it comes to calculus, and I would have no
problems being called ignorant about calculus. That
said, Vasistha's words here make sense-- he's simply
talking about "the characteristic of the person who
is not enlightened." But then he turns the idea
on its head by saying that the enlightened person sees and
understands that no one is actually ignorant.
To some extent, we go through life trying on different
clothes in order to find out what fits. I'm not a
football player, but I played football in high school, and
it was fun. So even though it seemed that I was
trying to be something I wasn't, that wasn't really the
case-- I was simply a non-football player who was playing
football for a while. Likewise, I once was in a
community play, and I was a non-actor who for a short time
was acting. Was I ignorant to try to be something I
wasn't? Or was I just trying on a different shirt
for a while to find out what it felt like to wear it?
The enlightened person realizes that there really is no
room for judgment. Even if this person is trying to
be someone or something else, then that person is going
through something that he or she needs to experience in
life. Perhaps the person needs to learn about
authenticity or dissatisfaction, and the best way for that
person to learn is through such an experience. While
it's easy for us to say, "You should be
yourself," if the other person hasn't yet uncovered
his or her true self, then how are they supposed to do that?
One thing I've learned about life holds true: people
do some weird stuff. And trying to be other than
what we are is weird, but it also can be very valuable (as
most weird stuff can). And if we claim any sort of
level of enlightenment at all, we must realize that it
isn't for us to judge what others are doing, for we have
no idea what their path calls them to do.
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