Vinaire's Blog

As detailed in Perception & Knowledge, the most accurate knowledge is made up of the perceptions obtained within a span of few hundred milliseconds. Rest of the knowledge is extrapolated from data indexed among:

1. Perception
2. Experience
3. Information
4. Hypothesis
5. Theory
6. Principles
7. Axioms
8. Self

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INCONSISTENCY

However such data is subject to inconsistencies. An inconsistency is something that doesn’t seem to make sense. There is some sort of disharmony, even when one can’t put one’s finger on it.

A physicist looks at the outer space. There is no physical medium there, yet the speed of light is constant. He is puzzled by this and makes it the subject of his research, because it is an inconsistency to him.

A person says that he has a happy married life, yet his wife is often seen crying. This is an inconsistency.

You postpone your trip to Spain because that country is torn by riots. Yet there are no riots in Spain. This is inconsistency.

One resolves repeatedly to stop smoking, yet he continues to smoke. This is an inconsistency.

A man finds life to be without purpose, yet he never had thoughts like this when he was young. This is also an inconsistency.

 

Such inconsistencies may be categorized as follows:

1. Engram (Inconsistency in Perception)
2. Unwanted feeling or emotion (Inconsistency in Experience)
3. Indoctrination (Inconsistency in Information)
4. Belief (Inconsistency in Hypothesis)
5. Doctrine (Inconsistency in Theory)
6. Fixed ideas (Inconsistency in Principles)
7. Fixed viewpoints (Inconsistency in Axioms)
8. Fixed identity (Inconsistency in Self)

Inconsistencies add inaccuracies to extrapolated knowledge. All the situations in life are the result of such inconsistencies.

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THE ROUTE TO KNOWLEDGE

It is difficult to perceive inconsistencies when justifications are present. For example, we say that God created this universe, but God could not have created evil in this universe because God is good.

Fixation on self (shame, blame, egotism, etc.) provides a wonderful array of justifications. A person may say, “I am a failure because I do not have the abilities that make one succeed.”

But “self” is an altered view of a “tightly interrelated system of considerations” that exist in relative isolation. Instead of focusing on self (overall personal characteristics), if one focuses on the related system of consideration, and non-judgmentally spots  inconsistencies therein, then the situations in life resolve swiftly.

Mindfulness helps one perceive inconsistencies and reduce them. It also brings about rapid spiritual progress.

1. Practice mindfulness until it becomes effortless as a second nature.

2. Recognize inconsistencies as they arise. Do not ignore them.

3. Immediately look at the inconsistency more closely.

4. Draw upon data as needed. It is quite easy to research in the Information Age of today.

5. Simply track down the inconsistency and keep looking at it more closely until it dissolves.

6. When the inconsistency is dissolved, then that’s it… let it go.

7. Focus on the next inconsistency as it arises.

Situations resolve much more swiftly in a group where everybody is applying mindfulness in discussions.

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