KnowledgeReform.com » Self-Reflection

Jiddu Krishnamurti Points the Way Toward Wisdom

Jason Cooper — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:27:29 +0000

In the following two videos, Jiddu Krishnamurti advises us to illuminate the way, for ourselves, to freedom, peace, and spiritual enlightenment.

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Will your Journey of Life take you Down the Road to Wisdom or Perdition?

Jason Cooper — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:05:18 +0000

Take the Road to Wisdom to Find a better Life

Wisdom, wisdom and more wisdom! How many more times must I spell out this simple but obscure six letter word that hides a beneficent gift to humankind.

The reason for encouraging you to attain this rare commodity, is because of the seemingly sad state of today’s superficial and ignorant world.

Whilst pursuing the things that we think will make us happy, paradoxically, they eventually serve to make us more miserable as we continue down the path of self-destruction.

Why not get off this ignorant path of perdition, my friend, and instead discover for yourself a pathless trail towards self-knowledge, self-improvement and limitless wisdom.

My Own Journey

I will forever be on this journey of self-discovery towards wisdom; of course I will make mistakes along the way and will stray off course from time to time – I am human after all – as the more I learn to know myself the more I become aware of how ignorant I actually am.

While I still have breath, I am determined that I will never retire from this most difficult of journeys, because every mile that I travel will provide me with a little improvement, bringing me that much closer to wisdom.

We all have opinions, and we are educated to believe that the attainment of knowledge will make all our dreams of so-called success come true. But to be frank with you, we don’t know a goddamn thing – especially of ourselves. This is where the problem lies with humankind – we continuously seek external solutions for inward problems.

We think to make ourselves happy and successful in life, one must have money, power, luxurious possessions, a celebrity image or social status. How wrong we are. Each and every one of those aforementioned man-made creations can eventually become self-defeating and can cause negative behaviour that we wish to avoid in the first place. We can become aggressively competitive, insecure, anxiety-ridden and worst of all, filled with fear of losing every external superficial baggage we have accumulated to make us feel secure.

So why can’t we see what we’ve become so we can then change for the better? You would think that with a bit of awareness and time to contemplate this current situation we find ourselves, we should then obviously see the path that we have presently chosen can lead us to disaster, and for the planet as a whole.

I’m guessing that common sense is not something that we’re all born with, and is as uncommon as seeing today’s world leaders having the wisdom to guide the people to “The Promised Land”.

Unfortunately, the way our society is run leads us to be continually on the run ourselves. Always distracted, without any time to spend with ourselves because we are all supposedly too busy and in too much of a rush to get somewhere – sadly, we go looking for answers to our problems everywhere else but ourselves.

Then again, maybe this is the reason why wisdom is so short in supply and so difficult to attain. As the ancient philosophers would say, “Wisdom is a much vaunted prize from the Gods! Where only a select few of seasoned competitors, who have trained hard in the sport of virtue, can lay claim to it once they pass all the tests of life. Upon receiving their prize their minds are then rewarded by being set free to ascend to the very heavens themselves.” Paradise at last reached – if only.

As for me, all I can do is to continue to learn from past mistakes and try to unravel the misguided thoughts in my mind which can create obstacles to my present growth, relationships and general well-being.

Most of my ignorance is probably self-inflicted or conditioned, but I know despite the root cause, I must aim to liberate my mind completely from “the burdens of yesterday” if I am to ever have the clarity and wisdom to live a peaceful and contented existence.

The following resonant quote has been very motivational for my personal journey towards emancipating my mind of destructive, negative conditioning,

“Truth is a pathless land’. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, nor through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation, and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. Man has built in himself images as a sense of security—religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these dominates man’s thinking, relationships and his daily life. These are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man in every relationship.”

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

I always make a point in saying to myself that “the biggest challenge in life will always be myself”. We are usually taught in everyday life that to be successful we must conquer every external obstacles that stands in our way. But they fail to tell us that the real obstacle in life is really ourselves – the very same self that can stop us from improving, being happy, or even achieving peace.

It may sound funny, but I think that if we really want to improve every facet of our lives we must aim to conquer ourselves first. The only enemy that threatens to imprison our minds is a jailer called ignorance.

With every question that you ask of yourself you will always find a truthful answer

I now continually ask the following philosophical questions to myself, those of which I will endeavour to answer in a future post:

Who am I?

What is the meaning of life?

Why do I get the feeling that there is more to life than we have been told?

Why do I feel that I have been conditioned with a false view of life?

How can I attain happiness in life?

Am I living superficially?

How can I live a more authentic life?

How do I live an honest and truthful life?

How am I to improve my character?

How am I to overcome adversity?

How am I to improve relationships?

How am I to live contentedly?

How am I to attain this wisdom?

What if all else fails what do I do then?

What I am now slowly discovering, as I contemplate where I stand in this mysterious life, is that philosophy and self-knowledge are the probable keys available for us to open both the doors of “the meaning of life” and “wisdom”.

So I suggest that you find some time out of your busy lives to ask the above questions to yourselves, as being aware of your own ignorance and attaining wisdom begins when you start to question how much you actually know about yourself and the life you presently live.

The Search for Meaning and Wisdom

I have read many a book written by the great philosophers who purport wisdom as a priceless thing to attain to guide our lives. I have watched many thought provoking videos and educating talks which discuss liberating the mind so we can live a more conscious life. I have also at the same time observed: the inner workings of my own mind, other human beings and the natural environment in which we all interact with each other.

Am I any closer to wisdom? I don’t know. But what I do know is that the one important lesson I have learned so far is to accept myself for who I am. Security is a much demanded comfort in this fear-ridden society – but external security is just an illusion. Being secure within yourself is the only security you will ever need to live a contented, confident and prosperous life.

It can be an empowering liberating force when one is secure within themselves and accepts all imperfections and weaknesses that they may have despite any outward pressures to conform or become superficial.

Once you embrace independence of mind you can take control of your life and drive it wherever you wish as long as you have a full tank of inspiration and motivation to keep you going. You should then be capable of reaching any destination you wish to visit, be it personal growth, self-knowledge or wisdom.

It is our one and only life to live after all, and nothing should constrict our ambitions of improving and being happy within ourselves once we become aware of who we are.

Always Apply what you have learned

Enough talking from me…time for us to apply the knowledge we have learned about ourselves so that we can make an active, positive and wise contribution to everything in our life.

It’s now time to get tough. We must see through all the bullshit and be real with ourselves and with others. No more false thoughts, or actions. Time to step up to plate and grab life by the reins and take control, because nobody else will live it for you. That is perhaps the wise thing we can all do.

If we are successful in gaining wisdom, and using it when a challenge suddenly arises, we can then leave this life in full knowledge that we lived a good and happy life, as we pass the “lamp of wisdom” onto the next generation so that they can then continue illuminating this planet to dispel the darkness of ignorance forever more…no matter how unlikely that may all sound.

And lastly, to my little boy: “Build your strength up, my son, especially of mind. As I prepare for you this wisdom that I will shortly pass on to you. Make me proud!”

What Has Philosopher, Bertrand Russell Lived For?

Jason Cooper — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:53:04 +0000

The following quote has been an inspiration for me to embrace philosophy as guidance for my own self-improvement in life. It has also influenced me to reflect on my own life with sincerity and frankness, whilst exploring deep down into my mind trying to find any sort of wisdom that I can learn from.

Being both resonant and moving, Bertrand Russell’s self-reflection of his life and insightful words has given me renewed optimism in the human spirit despite the ignorance scattered amongst humanity.

I can only hope that the next generation can put reason at the forefront of every world problem and be as wise as was old Bertrand.

What I Have Lived For – By Bertrand Russell

“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.

Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.”

~ Bertrand Russell, written on the 25th July 1956, taken from Autobiography of Bertrand Russell

What have you lived for?

Self-Knowledge is Power! Knowledge of Self Towards Successful Living

Jason Cooper — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:29:32 +0000

Read the first part of the ‘Self-Knowledge’ series: ‘Quotes of Wisdom: Inspirational Words towards Self-Knowledge’

What is the relationship between Self-Knowledge and Self-Reflection?

Snow White comes to mind when I take the time to self-reflect, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the most self-knowledge of them all?” The mirror then replied, “Look within yourself to find the answer.” Okay, I know the previous dialogue was never actually said in the Snow White film but that is my reinterpretation of them when thinking of how one can discover self-knowledge.

You must think I’m like a scratched record because of the amount of posts on this blog re-emphasising the need for self-knowledge as a key to enhancing yourselves in life. The reason for my over-zealousness in this regard is because I feel learning about oneself is an important and overlooked subject which, if encouraged, will greatly benefit this planet for generations to come.

Now going back to self-reflection, I feel it doesn’t only mean withdrawing into yourself and being deep in thought, it also means looking at your own reflection of self within the mirror of a clear perspective. The only way we can truly know ourselves is by examining our own minds without judgmental views and with freedom. We must look within ourselves with honesty, and without papering over the cracks of our flaws which will just open up again sometime in the future.

For us to improve ourselves for the better and achieve continuous growth we must identify any debilitating causes, open up the cracks, correct and reconstruct our minds, and by having self-knowledge one can achieve that purpose.

Knowledge vs. Self-Knowledge
Accumulating general knowledge can fill and stagnate the mind, leaving no room for growth towards self-learning, clarity and wisdom. Self-knowledge’s goal is not actually about accumulating, but it’s more to do with emptying the mind so one can think with more flexibility as well as being able to adapt to unforeseeable changes in life.

You must ask yourselves the question, “if there is no room for my mind to grow because of superfluous knowledge, then how can I find the space to learn about myself and surroundings during my whole lifetime?”

What does it mean to have Knowledge of Self?

Self-knowledge ultimately means having the knowledge to react positively to any given situation that may affect you in your life. Because if you know yourself, you will know life and will be able to conquer any enemies trying to siege the fortress of your mind.

How can one attain Self-Knowledge?

empty your mind of the useless knowledge that does not benefit your personal growth
absorb what is useful and learn from other sources such as books, video, audio or another person – be sure to use them only as a pointer and not a substitute for your own self-learning
be open minded and non-judgmental
be both observant and objective of yourself and in relationship with others
be aware of your behavior so to understand why you react in certain ways to different situations
Find time to be on your own so you can self-reflect and question yourself on life and any present obstacle in your mind
be independent of mind when making decisions and try not to be influenced by people or opinion which maybe false or go against your nature
write down your daily observations and thoughts, such as in a diary, personal journal or even a blog

What are the benefits of Self-Knowledge?

Self-knowledge will help you with:

your relationships with yourself and others
understanding and dealing with emotional issues
understanding your motives and behavior as well as others
being conscious of what is and is not in your power
being conscious of what you can and cannot achieve
knowing your strengths and weaknesses
becoming a good judge of character
enables one to develop objectivity, rationality, reason and, ultimately, wisdom
knowing how to overcome any difficulty and negative feelings when they arise
self-motivation and self-help
independence of oneself in making the right decisions and improving one’s emotional mood
continuous self-learning, self-improvement and personal growth throughout your whole life

Can one learn Self-Knowledge from external or secondary sources?

One can learn from enlightening books and people but it is somewhat limited towards your own self-knowledge. My advice is to use secondary avenues of knowledge as a guide (very much like what this blog is trying to achieve) towards learning about yourself and attaining wisdom.

One must not depend on these sources to provide you with the answers regarding yourself – which may only debilitate your own growth in the long run. One must have complete independence, and work towards achieving total understanding of oneself.

Look within the Mirror of Self

As you can see from the amount of benefits gained from having self-knowledge, it is most obvious that you should endeavor to begin learning about yourselves so to live successfully.

To be successful in life is not just about having a big bank account or becoming a Managing Director in your company. True success should be measured by one having attained the knowledge to live more consciously, intelligently and peacefully – which should all contribute towards one living a wise and fulfilling life.

In conclusion: Without self-knowledge there cannot be self-improvement of mind…and remember, the mirror of self never lies.

Quotes of Wisdom: Inspirational Words towards Self-Knowledge

Jason Cooper — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:39:53 +0000

What type of knowledge is important to you?

Do you sometimes feel that you should know yourself more than you do?

Do you feel that you are spending too much time accumulating superfluous knowledge other than knowledge of self?

Learn to accumulate Wisdom not Superficiality

In the educational system we are taught general knowledge for us to learn from and that is suppose to provide us with the foundations towards contributing to society. This carefully chosen knowledge is mostly made up of facts and figures which really has no real benefit towards our own personal growth. Maybe if they included practical wisdom and self-knowledge on the curriculum it would go a long way to addressing the balance of what we learn at school.

When we leave education and venture out into the wild jungle of employment, we are then encouraged to accumulate as much knowledge as possible so that we can be better prepared for the hunt for status and financial reward.

Especially in this technological world of communication competing for a captive audience who are willing to give up their hard earned cash to whoever can provide the best answers, we are continually bombarded with the familiar words “Knowledge is Power!” – and without this knowledge we can never become successful in life. To that I say, “absolute rubbish!”.

The reasons why most knowledge we learn is not conducive to living wisely are:

probably not relevant or useful to you and will not provide you with the wisdom to help you live successfully as a person
you may not be able to actually apply the knowledge to your own life
is mostly superficial because it’s external to you
cannot help you totally understand and solve the problems that may arise within yourself and within relationship with others
is only used for a means to an end and does not actually improve you as a person

Self-knowledge is the key to Living Successfully

So I’d like to rephrase the typical buzzword used to inspire you towards success to, “Self-knowledge is Power!” Or even, “Self-knowledge is Wisdom!” It’s a pity that we’re not encouraged to learn about ourselves rather than just learning a particular branch of knowledge to do our jobs or to display a show of vanity on how much we supposedly know – which is nothing more than that.

What about our actual lives and relationships? Self-knowledge would go a long way towards producing wise, intelligent and contented human beings who have the awareness to be reasonable and peaceful amongst one another, something which I think is the biggest success anyone can have in life.

I will go into this subject with even more depth in my next post, and will hopefully spark a light within you to begin self-reflecting and learning about yourselves, which I guarantee will improve your mind, spirit and life for the better – so no more ignorance, just awareness towards successful living.

Read part two of the ‘Self-Knowledge’ series: ‘Self-Knowledge is Power! Knowledge of Self Towards Successful Living’

Quotes of Wisdom

I will now leave you with a few inspirational quotes that will provide the foundations and encouragement for you to work towards your own self-knowledge.

“Know Thyself”

~ The Oracle of Delphi Spoke to Socrates

“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”

~ Socrates

“I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.”

~ Socrates

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

~ Socrates

“To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.”

~ Socrates

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”

~ Socrates

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

~ Aristotle

“Ninety percent of the world’s woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves.”

~ Sydney J. Harris

“Resolve to be thyself; and know that he who finds himself, loses his misery.”

~ Matthew Arnold

“Know thyself means this, that you get acquainted with what you know, and what you can do.”

~ Menander

“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”

~ Virginia Woolfe

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.”

~ Lao Tzu

“Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement.”

~ Spanish Proverb

“To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one’s own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat.”

~ Plato

“Be a light unto yourself.”

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

“He who knows not and knows not he knows not, He is a fool – Shun him.
He who knows not and knows he knows not, He is simple – Teach him.
He who knows and knows not he knows, He is asleep – Awaken him.
He who knows and knows that he knows, He is wise – Follow him.”

~ Arabic Proverb

Practical Wisdom: ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius

Jason Cooper — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:38:03 +0000

Description

Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and Aurelius’s own emotions.

But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.

My Review

This is ancient philosophy at it’s best with stoicism, positive psychology and practical wisdom written by Marcus that can be used as a mirror for you to learn from. This book will encourage you to attain knowledge of self through self-reflection so that you can empower yourself towards a wiser perspective of life. It may even prompt you to write down your own daily thoughts, which is a good exercise for self-expression and understanding yourself totally.

Marcus displays tremendous honesty and humility for someone who was in such a prestigious position, and you can feel that this journal was personal to him because of the humanity and emotions of his thoughts that shine through.

I guarantee that if Marcus were alive today he would probably have created a most popular self-help blog – but then again, I’d rather he were busy bringing peace and wisdom to the world as a modern day emperor.

I have read Meditations several times already, and I’m sure I will be dipping into it several times more in the future. You wouldn’t be surprised to hear me say that I have officially adopted this little gem as my bible to carry under my arm wherever life takes me.