Knowing vs. Being
If you’ve found that making real change in your life is hard, don't worry - you’re in good company and there is a (profound and practical) solution.
I
At some level we’re all seeking it - that sense of clarity, certainty, and confidence about life.
But is such a thing even possible today, in our increasingly complex, polarised, and dangerous world?
In my experience the answer is yes - but only if you relate to everything as mind-made and fluid; only if you can stop identifying with ‘knowledge’ and come to rest instead in a direct experience of Being.
Deep transformation - of any kind - can only occur when you are peaceful, present, and open to limitless possibilities - and the starting point for this is the clarity of mind.
Clarity here is not intellectual understanding but a more visceral sense of knowing. Clarity of mind is the necessary condition for certainty and confidence in our actions.
When body and mind are in sync, actions are accurate, reproducible, and beneficial. And as we experience these results consistently, our confidence naturally grows.
II
Clarity of mind is a quality of Being, and Being is the nature or essence of who we are.
Why then, are these foundational qualities so difficult to access?
Why are they sensed only fleetingly, perhaps at the end of some great struggle or trial?
In fact, there are many ways to access Being - and simple ways at that. But simple doesn’t always mean easy.
Access to Being has been mapped out by many spiritual traditions - by mystics and teachers from East and West, in both ancient and modern times
In the following, I shall refer to the Buddhist model.
III
Being just is. And here, language becomes a problem - because ‘Being’ and ‘is’ are actually synonyms.
Therefore, a distinction between knowledge and Being may be helpful.
Western Philosophy (especially English and American) has traditionally focused on knowledge - or ‘epistemology’ as it’s technically referred to.
Human knowledge is taken as the most basic or fundamental thing - a bedrock from which to establish truth about the world and our experience.
During the early 20th century however, the German philosopher Martin Heidegger challenged this view - arguing that ‘knowledge is a secondary mode of Being’ and that prior to sitting back and reflecting on things, we're ‘always already’ in the midst of Being.
Knowledge (epistemology) comes after, or on top of, a more basic experience of Being (ontology). We focus on ‘knowledge’ to such an extent that we miss the more basic (and truthful) experience of Being taking place at a deeper level.
IV
Let's take a closer look at the difference between knowing and Being, and the limitations in the way we use language.
When we use the word 'universe', for example, we feel that we know for sure what this word refers to. It feels like the word or label perfectly ‘captures’ the object it names.
But in reality the ‘universe’ is beyond ordinary human understanding. Ordinary human knowledge relates to objects with clear boundaries and demarcations, with definite beginnings and ends.
But if you try to think of where the universe begins and ends your head starts to hurt pretty fast!
This reveals a discrepancy between epistemology and ontology - between ordinary human thinking and that deeper reality of Being, which is much bigger and much more profound.
It’s like mistaking google maps for the actual place it represents. The name of something is different to the experience of what it “is”.
For Heidegger, since the time of Plato, western humanity has lost that real connection with Being - and it's a loss with enormous consequences.
V
The consequence of privileging knowledge over Being is the disavowal of experience.
We end up suppressing what we feel in favour of what we think. This creates separation, confusion, and polarisation.
That split between epistemology and ontology is now being played out in our personal lives.
For example, if someone were to ask you if you know what genuine happiness is, in a flash you’d say yes of course and you’d point at a whole heap of things.
But if you were asked if you know how to BE happy right now, that would be much more difficult to answer.
Western philosophers speak at length about profound transformational truth - but often undergo almost no real transformation in their own lives.
Indeed, if you read biographies of the most famous western thinkers, many acted in negative, harmful ways - completely at odds with the profound insights they wrote about.
And this is similar with all of us. We're overflowing with information and discursive thinking - but completely cut off from Being - the one thing with actual transformative power.
So if you’ve found that making real change in your life is hard, don't worry - you’re in good company and there is a (profound and practical) solution.
VI
Like western philosophy, Buddhism also seeks to map out the conditions of knowledge in great detail - but in a way that never loses sight of that deeper dimension of Being.
We can use this methodology to find the missing link in the science of transformation.
From a practical point of view, the most important thing is to create time and space to slow down our thinking and excessive conceptuality.
In short, in order to cultivate the clarity, certainty and confidence that all of us want, we must learn to interrupt the never-ending cycle of thinking, which is the real barrier separating us from a transformative experience of Being.
VII
Find somewhere peaceful where you can be quiet for a few moments…
Position your body in a way that feels stable and awake…
Take three breaths in and out - slowly and smoothly…
Gently notice any stillness in your body, feelings, and thoughts…
In this relative stillness, say slowly, out loud (if you’re not likely to disturb others),
“May I experience everything just as it is, without wanting it to be otherwise.”
Repeat a few times…
Sit still and simply observe what arises.
Remember, we’re not after a definitive answer.
We’re simply being open to what is…noticing whatever experience (sensations, emotions, or thoughts) that present themselves.
This being present and open brings about a certain kind of whole being knowing, that does not rely on the faculty of thinking.
At some point, your body and thoughts become synchronized.
There is a sense of peace that pervades your experience when body and mind are in sync.
This is when clarity of mind arises and is experienced as peace, presence, and possibility.
A few helpful pointers
The body is always present, whereas thoughts are not always present.
When we place attention, say on the sensation of breathing, without engaging with thinking, we begin to notice that everything settles in body and mind.
A sense of stillness and peace begins to pervade our whole experience in body and mind.
Keep returning to resting your attention on the sensation of breathing…
Practice this every day for between 1-10 minutes, ideally first thing in the morning. Practice more frequently if you wish. In other words, practice whatever feels comfortable and is just right for you.
What do you notice about the clarity of your thoughts and the accuracy and beneficial impact of speech and deeds?
What occurs after 7 days…after 14 days?
What would occur after 1 month, 6 months…?