I read this quotation in Sogyal Rinpoche’s book. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying:
If you are too clever you might miss the point entirely.
This is a Tibetan saying, obviously.
I wish I had come across this quotation when I was a teenager. As it turned out I only read Sogyal Rinpoche’s book when I was about 40. And I think that this quote is crucial to mental hygiene and thinking clearly.
Sherlock Holmes makes a similar point in the below quote:
It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.
My story wherein I learnt the above lessons is as follows:
I had a troubled adolescence and youth wherein I behaved badly and was treated badly by society. In my confused state of mind, I sought to justify the way I was behaving and tried also to convince myself that the fault lay with society that I was behaving badly. It was definitely true that I was more sinned against than sinning but that was not the point and knowing that to be the case was not going to help me in any way. But I was enslaved by my habits of thought and continued with my reading and thinking. And I did not make the best use of the years of my youth. I cannot say I wasted those years or misused those years but it was not their best use.
If I could meet myself as I was at age 20 I would give him the following advice:
- Firstly God is running the Universe – you are not. You have neither the wisdom to take a balanced view nor the power to either reward or punish the people you have a grudge against.
- Next, if people are treating you badly they do not have to account for their actions to you but to God almighty. And they will do that in the Intermediate Bardo of Becoming. (This is a state that follows the death of the physical body which most people experience wherein they relive their lives and understand and experience the consequences of their actions. For more on this subject read the book above).
- I would tell myself that it was important to change as a person and to understand the situation you were facing. The facts were that I was a troubled youngster and also that the people harassing me were powerful and wanted to destroy me. Why they wanted to do so, whether they were right or wrong, how much blame to attach to each person – all this was irrelevant. You simply need to deal with your complexes (which you can do through Buddhist meditation methods) and understand the implications of this feud on your career and personal life. Then you can do what is necessary to have a successful career and family life.
Instead of doing the above I filled my head with philosophical thoughts that explained the situation. I cannot say that I did not come across many insights. But since I was not in politics or running the country, these insights were of no practical use to me.
Well at least I read some good books and had a pleasant time philosophizing. I took the road less travelled by. And now I can pass on these insights to any youngster who may be reading this article.
The one takeaway I would like you to get that it is important to understand the situation facing you both internally and externally. How does this affect your plans and goals. You have to understand the point and you do not need to read a ton of books to do that.
Just empty your mind of preconceived ideas, free yourself of old habits of thought and do some thinking.
If you would like to learn how to think please see the link below:
Buddhist mindfulness and meditation methods will teach you to free yourself of old habits of thought. Try Vipassana or if you like Thich Nhat Hanh’s books
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