Awaken in Wisdom

This article about wisdom was originally published in the Hindi Vipaœhya Patrika. This has been translated and slightly adapted.

Let us liberate ourselves from the bondage of ignorance. To become liberated from ignorance means to be liberated from the bondage of dukkha (suffering) in this life and duk-kha resulting from the cycle of future births and deaths. It is ignorance that keeps us bound to dukkha in this life and in future lives.

What is ignorance? 

It is the state of dullness, heedlessness, unskillfulness. Because of ignorance, we keep generating new saªkh±r±s (mental reactions) and keep defiling our minds with fresh negativities. We are barely aware of what we are doing: how we imprison ourselves with the bonds of craving, with the bonds of aversion; and how, in our ig-norance, we tighten the knots of these bonds.

We can eradicate ignorance by remaining aware, alert, and attentive every moment. Then we will not allow new saªkh±r±s to make deep impressions on our minds like lines chiseled on granite; we will not allow ourselves to be bound by the fetters of craving and aversion. This quality of atten-tiveness of mind, endowed with understanding, is called paññ± (wisdom) and it eradicates ignorance at the roots.

To awaken this wisdom, and to get established in it, we practice Vipassana.

Yatha½ care: when we walk, we walk with awareness.

Yatha½ tiµµhe: when we stand, we stand with awareness.

Yatha½ acche: when we sit, we sit with awareness.

Yatha½ saye: when we lie down, we lie down with awareness.

Whether sleeping or awake, arising or sitting, in every state, we should remain aware and attentive every moment. No action of ours should ever be done without awareness.

Paccavekkhitv± paccavekkitv± k±yena kamma½ k±tabba

All body activities should be done with full awareness.

Paccavekkhitv± paccavekkhitv± v±c±ya kamma½ k±tabba

All vocal activities should be done with full awareness.

Paccavekkhitv± paccavekkitv± manas± kamma½ k±tabba

All mental activities should be done with full aware-ness.

Thus we should be heedful with regard to every physical, vocal, or mental action; we should examine every action.

At the same time, this awareness should be endowed with paññ±. This means that, along with awareness, we should cultivate the experiential understanding of the three characteristics of paññ±: that all phenomena, have the inherent characteristic of impermanence(anicca); that all phenomena which are impermanent give rise to suffering (dukkha); and that all such phenomena which are impermanent and give rise to dukkha are without essence—they cannot be “I” or “mine” or “my soul” (anatt±).

Once this is understood at the experiential level, one realizes how meaningless it is to is react with craving or aver-sion, clinging or repugnance towards any phenomenon that arises. Instead, there should only be awareness and, at the same time, detachment towards every phenomenon. This is Vipassana. This is the experiential wisdom that shatters ignorance.

Meditators! In the destruction of ignorance alone is our welfare, our happiness, our liberation (nibb±na).

 This article is take from Meditation Now.