‘Beautiful! That’s a real thinker! ” I got this response from a follower when I posted the #mindfulnesstweet on twitter: * When an ordinary person comes to know, he becomes a sage. When a sage comes to knowledge, he becomes an average person * Indeed a real thinker.
Wise is to have a lot of knowledge
Because what is meant by it? The first is quite clear. In our western world, we do agree. A wise person is someone who has acquired a lot of knowledge. Someone who also knows how to transfer that knowledge by teaching, researching, and publishing about it. We find someone even wiser if he also has titles for his name.
Evidence-based, ‘proven wise.’
A Professor, the Doctor, has earned his or her spurs. It has proven to be very wise. In the Western world, we believe in evidence. If something can be determined, we are willing to acknowledge it. Where we currently swear by evidence-based care in healthcare, we swear by evidence-based ways in our society.
Wisdom stuck to knowledge
But what would be meant by the second part? When a sage comes to education, he becomes an ordinary person. That is a difficult one for our Western way of thinking. Because if you attach wisdom to knowledge and assume that ordinary people do not have that much knowledge, after all, we are not all Prof. dr. Dr. How can the sage be used to?
Wisdom and knowledge, not necessarily the same
Somewhere deep down, we may feel it is right. And we know that there are also intelligent people who do not have so many titles for their name. And that people with many claims for their names do not always act wisely. Very ordinary people can dosage things. People who have not gathered so much knowledge and yet know things.
Not everything can be proved
Because a wise person who comes to know about life becomes an ordinary person. A person who knows that not everything in life can be explained. That the human mind and actions are not always evidence-based, but no less valuable. It is a person who knows that happiness lies in ordinary, everyday life. Enjoy the little things in ‘ordinary life.’ Paying attention to, and giving attention to, the ideas and the people around you, just in the here and now.
All your actions matter
A wise person knows that all your actions are the case, even if that has not been proven. He knows that compassion and humanity are essential in this life. That it is essential to be friendly. And that having a big heart takes you beyond bitterness and hatred. A wise person knows that his task in this short earthly life is to live his life as well as possible. With all the suffering that comes with it. And all the joy and happiness. A wise person knows that everything begins and everything goes again. Always.
A deeper knowing
A wise person knows that all that matters, in the end, is to leave life again with a sense of contentment, to leave people who will miss you, to have done good deeds, to have kindness and thus to contribute to this essential earth, the ability to be ordinary. To be small and, therefore, to be significant. In short, the average person who has made a difference. And who just knew that deep down. That is real wisdom.
The earth lies in a grain of sand, the universe in a petal pure, the infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour. – William Blake.
Knowledge, wisdom, and insight seem synonymous, but they are not. They each have a different purpose and application in our lives. Wisdom, insight and knowledge are blessings of the ‘now’. In this article, we take a closer look at these concepts and why they are so important.
Knowledge
According to wise masters, there are three types of knowledge:
- theoretical knowledge
- practical knowledge and
- intuitive (or divine) knowledge
Theoretical knowledge is what we learn from books or have taken from teachers. For example, that the Earth is round or that there are black holes in the universe.
Practical knowledge is the result of experiences. For example, when you burn yourself on a candle.
There are three types of intuitive or divine knowledge :
- The wisdom gained by meditating or reflecting on the divine essence of the material world.
- The wisdom gained from seeing reality as a series of divine lessons and experiences;
- The wisdom gained through meditation and contemplation on the invisible intangible world
Insight
According to wise masters, there are three kinds of insight:
- insight from the intellect
- insight from wisdom and
- insight from the intuition of the heart
There are three benefits that the understanding of the intellect gives us:
- The first is that we can distinguish between what is useful to us and what is harmful, and what the consequences are of our actions.
- Second, we can distinguish the different levels of people, for example, how tolerant or how intelligent they are.
- The third advantage of this insight is that we ‘understand’ what is best to do in a certain moment or for a certain person. When we immediately put this insight into practice, we have come closer to our higher (or true) potential.
Insight based on wisdom has three forms. The first is to show compassion to all creation. As a result, all animosity disappears. The second is to observe how good is in everything. This removes all haste and stress. The third is contemplation of the divine in the continuous renewal of creation. This increases the seeker’s sense of happiness and also brings him closer to the divine. This is the path of the friends of God.
Insight from the intuition of the heart is of three kinds: insight based on experience. This gives us the vision to distinguish; insight based on reasoning, This is the view of the intellectuals; and insight based on the vision of the heart. This is the light that serious seekers have in their hearts.
The kind of intuition based on inner vision is a light shining on the traveler’s heart. It is a direct, or otherwise recurring, thought that enters the heart and proves to be true. Or else the seeker gives an irrefutable certain knowledge that comes directly from the invisible reality. This knowledge belongs to Hermes / Thoth.
