Ignorance Isn’t The Problem
Conventionally, ignorance is seen as a flaw related to a lack of knowledge. It is something to be overcome. From a nondual perspective, ignorance is the root of psychological suffering for it is the belief of being a separate person in an indifferent or opposing world.
Wisdom says the appearance of ignorance is not an error that fundamentally mars reality, but is rather a natural phenomenon within the flow of consciousness itself.
As an example, the dreamer is the sole reality of a dream, but the dream character can be ignorant of its true nature in that it is does not know its reality or source, which is the dreamer. The dreamer isn’t negligent because the dream character appears ignorant; the appearance of ignorance is simply a feature of the dream. So the dream character’s belief that it is a separate entity is not a flaw, but an activity that allows for the richness and diversity of experience.
The acknowledgment that ignorance is a natural phenomenon does not, however, imply a passive acceptance of suffering. Compassion, ethical action, and the alleviation of pain remain vital expressions of wisdom within the narrative of life. These actions can arise not from a judgement of ignorance as a fundamental flaw, but from a recognition of its role in the drama of life. Suffering, though very real from the relative experience within the dream, so to speak, is understood as a temporary state born from a temporary identification.
Ultimately, wisdom recognizes that the entire play of ignorance and knowledge, separation and unity, suffering and liberation, is happening within and as the reality of consciousness. The appearance of ignorance does not diminish reality in the same way that shadows do not diminish the sun. Shadows are merely a natural phenomenon that occurs when light is obstructed. Similarly, the belief in separation is a natural phenomenon that occurs when awareness identifies with form.
Wisdom says there is nothing fundamentally wrong with reality. Ignorance is simply a phase, a particular expression within the dream of consciousness, the same dream in which we catch glimpses of love, beauty and truth.