Ignorance

Osho, I have got all the degrees that a university can offer. Why am I still ignorant?

The word "God" is not God, the word "love" is not love either. So the poor people who go on thinking about the word "God" or the word "love" are simply missing a great opportunity. They may have known what God is, they may have become acquainted with the mysteries of love, but the word is hiding the truth; the word is covering their eyes. The eyes of all knowledgeable people are so covered with theories, theologies, dogmas, creeds, that they cannot see. They are not transparent. And wisdom is a transparency, a vision unclouded -- unclouded by all thoughts, unclouded by all dust. One has to cleanse oneself every moment, because dust tends to gather on the mirror every moment. It is a natural process. While you are sitting here, the mirror in your bathroom is gathering dust. Even in the night when nothing is happening -- even the…

Osho, “Even now, awaken, O ignorant one”—this address by Paltu Dasji is for everyone; but what is the single basic ignorance we all share? Please tell us.

There is only one ignorance: we do not know who we are. All other ignorances are born out of this one. There is a single seed; then the tree grows large—many branches and sub-branches, many leaves and flowers, fruits. And in one seed, countless seeds appear. Botanists say a tiny seed is capable of covering the whole earth with greenery. And a tiny seed of ignorance has filled the human being with utter darkness. The seed is small: the lack of the awareness “Who am I?” One who lacks this very awareness—whatever he does will go wrong. When the inner lamp has not been lit, there is no possibility that your actions will be right. Yet we all try to set our actions right. It is like not lighting a lamp in the dark and instead practicing how to walk correctly—so that in the dark I can walk without falling,…

What exactly do yowl mean by 'conscious ignorance'? Is it the recognition that one is ultimately, fundamentally ignorant? Or is there more to it?

Ashoka, conscious ignorance is not ignorance at all. It is the ultimate state of consciousness -- how can it be ignorant? It is pure knowing. Of course, there is no knowledge, hence it is called ignorance. But there is knowing, utter knowing, clarity, transparency. No knowledge is gathered, but all is known. Conscious ignorance means innocence AND conscious. If innocence is unconscious, sooner or later it will be corrupted by knowledge. Unconscious mind is always ready to be corrupted, polluted, distracted. Consciousness means centering, awareness -- you cannot be distracted. You remain in your knowing, but you don't accumulate knowledge. Knowledge is always of the past: knowing is in the present, is of the present. Like a mirror: the mirror reflects if something comes before it, but when it passes the mirror is empty again. This is conscious ignorance -- not that the mirror does not reflect: it reflects, but…

The first step in sannyas is to get rid of knowledge and the second step is to get rid of ignorance and the journey is complete. But first one has to get rid of knowledge because it is knowledge that covers your ignorance, protects your ignorance. It gives you a false notion that you know, when in reality you know nothing. But people are even afraid to ask the question 'Do I know? Do I know god? Do I know truth? Do I know love? Do I know what this universe is? Who am I?' People are afraid of asking these questions, afraid because they will bring you to your ignorance, you will have to encounter your ignorance, and ignorance is very shattering to the ego. Knowledge is a nourishment to the ego, so everybody wants to remain knowledgeable.