Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Does Ignorance Truly Exist or Is There Only Inattention? by Katie Davis

When someone inquires about ignorance, I will generally ask them to inquire first, who is ignorant?

They are not realizing that they are imposing the concept of ignorance over the present state of their thoughts and emotions. However, if they are willing to truly examine the thoughts or feelings each time the negativity arises, they discover that there is no such thing as ignorance; only inattention.

In the very moment that they are willing to be curious enough to look directly, it brings to light what worries them. Attention is all that is required. I am not proposing any action; only simple attention. After all, worry is a form of pain and one cannot deny that the pain is calling for attention. In the instant of merely shifting their attention, the call for attention ceases and the question of ignorance dissolves.

Whatever your question or worry may be, instead of waiting for the answer, find out who is asking the question and what is making it arise. You find of course that it is the mind that is asking the question and that it is demonstrating its fear of pain.

In fear there is memory and anticipation; that is past and future. Attention will bring you back to the present, the now, and presence is a state that is forever at hand, but rarely even noticed. The worry or anxiety cannot prevail in presence of now. Emotional pain is resistence born of the mind's time.

Katie Davis Website www.katiedavis.org

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks Katie.

This really resonates to where I have been today, well for the last month really, I had been caught up in a trap and hadn't realised it.

Thank you for sharing
- Becky

Katie Davis, Author, Awake Joy said...

That is beautiful and thank you for letting me know and taking a moment to comment. That means that today, I mean now, is a very good day!

All Love and Gratitude ~ Katie