The Book of Not Knowing: Exploring the True Nature of Self, Mind, and Consciousness

We might not find our real selves, but we do keep busy!

In more “spiritual” pursuits, a peaceful clear-mindedness is considered laudable and, to the newcomer, somewhat mysterious. If we look closely at this state of mind, we find that at its base is simply openness, a willingness to not-know. This aspect of wisdom’s clarity usually goes unrecognized, since what followers most often seek is knowledge and

Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought. —Matsuo Basho

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. —Albert Einstein

To access genius, we need to be able to step outside our familiar self-mind and resist the urge to hastily fill in the blank spaces with our knowing. Being willing to not-know means having the courage to surrender all that we think we know, and all that we believe is true. When we open up in this way, we create a space to experience what is actuall

The word Zen means “to sit” and refers to a practice of meditation. The purpose for this meditation is to reach what Zen people call “enlightenment”—a leap in consciousness to a sudden awareness of the essential nature of “being.”

When Susan expressed her surprise, the instructor told her that whether she realized it or not, she had been drawing the familiar objects from memory and association rather than from sight. The unfamiliar shapes made her have to see what was really there.

Whether it comes as an inkling or a full blown awakening, the direction is the same—it is toward what is real.

Contemplation as a meditative discipline is looking into some matter for oneself with the intent to discover what’s true about it.