What do you mean when you say ignorant?
What are the signs of ignorance?
how do I know whether I’m ignorant or not?
Thats too broad a question for a straight answer.
If there exists a fact of which you are not aware, then you are ignorant of that fact.
If ever a thing happens, and you pay it no heed, you are ignoring that thing, and are ignorant.
I blink several times a minute, but I ignore it. I am therefore ignorant.
Maybe you can be more specific?
When you acquire knowledge and wisdom, then you find out that you used to be ignorant.
[QUOTE=CityMonk;44628]What do you mean when you say ignorant?
What are the signs of ignorance?
how do I know whether I’m ignorant or not?[/QUOTE]
Most often, ‘ignorant’ is a word used by other people that often gets confused with ‘disagreeable’ to describe stubborn, recalcitrant folk (especially on the internet).
It’s meant to form part of what people like to call ‘constructive criticism’ which kind of goes like this: ‘I mean no disrespect, but you are a stupid, ignorant prick’…
If I was to pay heed to everybody who called me ‘ignorant’, I would be the most ignorant person on the planet.
Of course, ‘ignorance’ always has an ideal to live up to…
In Vedas, it is called ‘Tamas’.
It means to waste one’s time focusing on gross, materialistic endeavours rather than true spiritual ones.
This includes such things as meat-eating, poor hygiene, drinking/smoking, overeating/sleeping and all of that.
Now, it’s not ignorance not to know any better and do bad things…that’s just being ‘uneducated’…
It [B]is[/B] ignorance to know that you should not be doing bad things yet continue to do them anyway.
Ignorance/ignorant is derived from the word ‘ignore’.
To ‘ignore’ something (and thus be ‘ignorant’) means you have to be aware of its existence in the first place or else it is not ignorance.
That all being said, only 2 beings know if you are really ‘ignorant’. Yourself and God.
People can call you ignorant or say that you are, but they wouldn’t have a clue…they are usually butthurt with you for other reasons and use the word ‘ignorant’ in an attempt to be insulting.
I tend to employ the definition of ignorance (avidya) put forth in the Kleshas.
Ignorance thus is the mistaking of pain for pleasure, self for non-self, pure for impure, permanent for impermanent and their four corollaries.
I think this likely answers all three parts of the question.
[QUOTE=CityMonk;44628]What do you mean when you say ignorant?
What are the signs of ignorance?
how do I know whether I’m ignorant or not?[/QUOTE]
I just means to not know something.
You know Russian. I don’t. I’m ignorant about Russian.
I had been very ignorant about yoga most of my life. I still am, but am now much less ignorant.
Ignorant could also mean a lack of manners or sophistication.
If someone sneezes or coughs and doesn’t cover his mouth, maybe he was never taught to do that, and so we could say he’s ignorant.
I have seen some very ignorant statements and presumptions about Christianity on this forum. The people who made these statements are ignorant about that subject, but not ignorant about their own beliefs. I have seen Christians make ignorant statments about yoga. These kinds of expressions of ignorance are unjust, because the person makes an assertion based on incomplete knowledge, and should not draw such conclusions until appropriately informed. But sometimes someone makes an ingnorant comment in good faith. He really believes that he knows. I suppose in that case the only real cure is to have someone who knows point it out to him.
The worst ignorance is one that is willful. Maybe you suspect your child is doing drugs, but don’t want to know about it and don’t want to deal with it, so you block it out and strive to remain ignorant. That’s a bad kind of ignorance.
Do you have anything more specific you could add, CityMonk? Why are you asking this?
I think that everybody is ignorant to an extent…
You know those people who say that I am ignorant? I usually ignore them, turning their insults into a self-fulfilling prophecy. LOL
In fact, I ignore all people whom I deem to be ‘stupid’ and ‘not worthy of my time’…I ignore their ad-hominem opinions about me…I usually ignore everything that other people think about me too (unless those people directly matter in my life).
I ignore everything that’s trivial and insignificant…I ignore everything I was taught to believe…I ignore my stomach when it says ‘feed me’…I ignore the ringing phone when I am taking a shower or answering the call of nature…I ignore my niece when she’s being an annoying, attention-seeking brat…
I ignore a lot of things…if I did not, my brain would implode…
Thus, I am ignorant and bloody proud of it!
Don’t listen to anyone who rides a kangaroo to work.
[QUOTE=thomas;44653]k it out and strive to remain ignorant. That’s a bad kind of ignorance.
Do you have anything more specific you could add, CityMonk? Why are you asking this?[/QUOTE]
Oh, I’ve just heard “local yogis” saying it all the time.
In my mind ignorance was something like unwillingness to learn and try to understand unknown things such as other points of view, cultural and social differences, or just a different attitude towards live events .
Statement from the “yogi” like “those local redneck Christians are [U]ignorant[/U] and intolerable about yoga” sounds much more ignorant:) …
[QUOTE=CityMonk;44628]What do you mean when you say ignorant?
What are the signs of ignorance?
how do I know whether I’m ignorant or not?[/QUOTE]
- Not connected with the Reality and All Pervading Power
- Confusion
- If you are not connected with the Reality and All Pervading Power
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;44650]I tend to employ the definition of ignorance (avidya) put forth in the Kleshas.
Ignorance thus is the mistaking of pain for pleasure, self for non-self, pure for impure, permanent for impermanent and their four corollaries.
I think this likely answers all three parts of the question.[/QUOTE]
Good answer, Gordon. Also it is said that avidya is the root cause of all the other klesas.
[QUOTE=Nobody;44647]Most often, ‘ignorant’ is a word used by other people that often gets confused with ‘disagreeable’ to describe stubborn, recalcitrant folk (especially on the internet).
[/QUOTE]
This is soooo true…
Also, thinking that you are the sane one is an ignorance…
Thinking that you are the one not-ignorant …
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;44650]I tend to employ the definition of ignorance (avidya) put forth in the Kleshas.
Ignorance thus is the mistaking of pain for pleasure, self for non-self, pure for impure, permanent for impermanent and their four corollaries.
I think this likely answers all three parts of the question.[/QUOTE]
Yes, these are the basics fundamentals bricks of ignorance… but what every day life… for example, pure and impure… with respect for pigs pigs are happy in the dirt and cats are happy in the clean cozy place…
Ignorance is the ‘truth of the day’ that needs correction when a truer truth is known. Ignorance by choice makes one unaware of any difference between the two.
Ignorance too evolves by diminishing in inverse proportion to wisdom. The pinnacle of wisdom is knowing the truth about Purusha and Prakruti that needs no correction any more.
Oh, I’ve just heard “local yogis” saying it all the time.
In my mind ignorance was something like unwillingness to learn and try to understand unknown things such as other points of view, cultural and social differences, or just a different attitude towards live events .
Statement from the “yogi” like “those local redneck Christians are ignorant and intolerable about yoga” sounds much more ignorant …
I agree that this is a form of ignorance too, and is worse than an innocent form of ignornance which is to simply not know the facts about a subject.
What you’re referring to is “prejudice,” which is to believe in a certain way without having all the facts. Your yogi friends have perceptions about “Christian rednecks” based on incomplete knowledge and their reasons for being “intolerable.” The Christians, though, could be unwilling look past the appearances. They could do a better job of informing themselves before they derive their opinions, though if they came here to this forum to learn about yoga, depending upon whose posts they read, they might run for the hills, and I wouldn’t blame them.
I think it’s also a form of ingnorance to preach a sermon, or use terminology not understood by all, when a plain answer will do.
Ignorance thus is the mistaking of pain for pleasure, self for non-self, pure for impure, permanent for impermanent and their four corollaries.
Yep, this is the scientific definition of ignorance.
Do you take the minor sensory pleasures you get for pleasure? No, they are actually pain, they end up creating subtle attachments to those sensory pleasures and attachment breeds disappointment, anxiety, fear, and anger
Do you take the personality identity to be the self? No, they are no-self, they are just different roles and identities that have been thrust upon you by society. Do not take them too seriously or you will find your self taken over by some group-conscousness which you are not. The biggest crisis of modern times is self-image, everybody is worried about their self-image.
Do you take the beautiful sunsets, beaches, mountain tops or the smiling innocent baby to be pure. They are not pure, but full of impurity.
Do you take this world to be be permenant and anything within it to be permenant? None of it is permenant, everything is is constant change the moment it comes into being. Some things last long and some things last for short while, but they all eventually are destroyed. Even this universe will be destroyed.
If you are guilty of any of the above crimes of knowledge(
) you are ignorant.
[QUOTE=CityMonk;44683]Also, thinking that you are the sane one is an ignorance…
Thinking that you are the one not-ignorant …:)[/QUOTE]
Only if you’re wrong.
The classic illustration of avidya is the story of the snake and the rope. A man in a dark room sees what he believes is a snake and reacts with fear. But when a lamp is lit, and he sees that what he thought was a snake is only a piece of rope, he realizes that his fear was unfounded.
vidya - avidya – seeing - not seeing
If someone says, “I can’t do yoga because I don’t believe in devil worship,” isn’t that being “ignorant,” and how does this tie in with all these allegedly scientific definitions about ignorance?
This example is more in-line with the gist of the original post.