Daniel Doen Silberberg Sensei talks about the first two Koans of the Blue Cliff Record and the ability to not know, as opposed to thinking that you know things. Knowing restricts you; not knowing is an open field.
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The Value of Not Knowing
7 Responses to “The Value of Not Knowing”
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August 25, 2009
[...] Het meeste wat we weten schijnt ook nog vrij negatief te zijn. Onlangs keek in naar een aardig youtube filmpje van een zenmeester, hij nam vrij fors stelling in het niet weten. Niet weten is onmogelijk. Je kunt [...]
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October 26, 2009
[...] Het meeste wat we weten schijnt ook nog vrij negatief te zijn. Onlangs keek in naar een aardig filmpje over “the value of not knowing”, deze persoon nam vrij fors stelling in het niet weten. Niet weten is onmogelijk. Je kunt jezelf [...]
It seems like knowing, or having to know shuts off possibility and choice, and not knowing keeps all options open.
I’d like to thank you for illuminating ‘not-knwowing’ mind. This brings to bear a number of ideas on the value of not-knowing, as an attitude, approach or state of mind. The value of denying accumulated knowledge as a permanent, closed state of being is that it opens up self to discovery, as you said. I found this is necessary when studying culture in college. In order to know something about such a dynamic system like culture, I had to approach it from a mind of withholding absolutes and maintaining projections in order to find out, or make room for, what I essentially did not know. I feel this state might be central to intuitive processes and creativity in general.
Also, I found that not-knowing comes in handy when trying to reconcile those more eminent philosophical inquiries, as you pointed out, like Existential meaning. The idea being that faith, after a certain amount of inner searching, is what “resolves” a lot of my anxieties concerning what, essentially, cannot be validated or known. Thus, it remains open.
I was thinking that maybe a close ally of not knowing is seeking, which sets up a dynamism for all sorts of inquiry and discovery in our lives. This way, both have their compliments.
What came into my mind hearing this is an old chinese story about a farmer who lost a horse- it ran away. All his neighbours came and said: How bad that it´s gone. He said: Maybe. The next day his horse came back bringing with him 7 wild horses. The neighbours said: What a lucky man you are! He said: Maybe. Some days later his son broke his leg by trying to tame one of the horses, and again the neighbours came. They said to the farmer: Such a bad luck, you poor one! He said: Maybe. The next week all young men of the village were forced to take part in a war, not so the farmers son, because of his leg……(and so forth)
So, to me the question arises, what do we really know at all? Of course we don´t know what will happen next, but even when we experienced it, we don´t know the meaning of it and what effects it will have. We only have ideas about it.
And yet in science we are only working with models and beliefs, but we think we KNOW something (remember: earth is flat and in the middle of the universe, the brain is only an energystore, women are not able to think, there is nothing smaler than an atome..)
I remember e.g. one heart-medication, that was broadly used in the 70´s, condemned in the 80s´, had a great coming-back in the 90´s and is now discussed again- this all after scientific research defined as a gold standard!
So, not-knowing, to me, seems to be the only rational way to deal with one´s life, but it´s easier said than done.
Knowing is fun! I’d like to know as much as I can. The world we live in is such an amazing place. How could I NOT trying to know everything about it? But on the other hand knowing feels to me making my life smaler if it is the only way to experience it. I am so thankful for being teached in experience my life by not-knowing. It makes me feel more open and vast for everything.
I have believed that knowing was a tool to keep me grounded. Listening to your talk, I discovered that I was just scared about the subject of not knowing. The perspective you’re giving on not knowing is so much less confined and so much more open, interesting and peaceful. If knowing is the base of action, not knowing must be liberating all actions.