“Not-knowing is most intimate.”

Where does personal wisdom come from? I don’t mean stuff borrowed from TV, books, and teachers, but the stuff that bubbles up from somewhere inside. Once in a while a deep sense of knowing envelopes me when something feels “right” and “true.” Paradoxically this occurs more often when we cease trying. Look at this ancient Zen story:

Zen Master asks young monk, “Where are you going?”
Monk replies, “On a pilgrimage.”
Master, “What is the purpose of pilgrimage?”
Monk, ”I don’t know.”
Master, “Not knowing is most intimate.”

This “not knowing is most intimate” could be translated as living with the heart and mind wide open and welcoming whatever arises. Seen that way it matters little where wisdom comes from or whether it’s in fact “true.” What it calls me and you to do–and it’s a tall order–is to strive to awaken. Awaken from delusions and daydreams, from fixed ideas of how the world should unfold, or how others should behave towards me and the universe. And to trust, to have faith in, what the heart-mind-body knows all along.

How to we connect with this inner wisdom? In several faith traditions, mediation has been the key to the heart (and the divine). Buddhism may be best known for it, but meditation and contemplation have been part of Aboriginal, Jewish, and Christian practices for eons.

If you’d like to add a meditation component to your holistic self-care -- along with exercise and nutrition – we invite you to visit this page on a regular basis for Zen and Mindfulness meditation tips.  If you live in the Victoria area, go to the Fernwood Zendo blog and check the Bulletin Board for free meditation instruction and sitting groups.