10th Fetter
The Wisdom Curriculum

Ignorance vs. Wisdom

The 10th Fetter pairs with the 2nd Fetter of doubt, which makes it relevant to be acquainted with, even while working with the lower fetters.

A belief is nothing but a thought. And doubt is when two conflicting beliefs are present at the same time. Essentially, one thought is followed by a contradictory thought, which is followed by an alternate contradictory thought, again and again. And each one feels true, and plausible, and brings a cascade of sensations throughout the body that reinforce the apparent relevance and truth of that lone thought.

Consequently, all beliefs (as well as other types of thoughts) have a root in the ability to know something to be true. And their stickiness is due to the feelings that make them seem tangible. And this feeling contributes to the fiction that we can truly know the truth about anything. But we cannot.

As soon as you accept one belief as truth, then two conflicting beliefs you also accept as truth will cause doubt and confusion.

In the 10th Fetter we release all of that, because not only have we realized that there is no one to know anything, we now can acknowledge, accept and understand that we can never know anything to be truth, since no one ever has all of the relevant information to determine what is or is not.

With the 10th Fetter we learn to live in the freedom of ambiguity.

It’s okay to not know.

It’s okay to never be able to come down on any side of any argument.

It’s okay to let go of the need to understand so that we feel a sense of safety by knowing what is true, and that we stand on firm ground.

We don’t.

And we can let go and fully relax into this wisdom.

Enjoy

10th Fetter

Exercise:

Look at your hand.

Breathe deeply, soften your gaze, and truly look.

Do you notice that the image that your eyes are seeing is not how a hand looks? What is this strange structure?

Close your eyes and feel into the sensations of a hand.

Do these sensations feel the way the image looks?

Do you notice that the sensations are not “hand shaped”?

Now notice how the sensations in the area where you believe your hand to be, dissolves and changes.

How do you know you have hands?

Does a voice pop up insisting that you do?

Do you feel a contraction somewhere in the body insisting that hands are real, and that you have at least one of them?

Feel those sensations that give us the impression that we know this fact to be true.

Aren’t they also just dissolvable sensations?

What are you relying on to feel that you know anything at all?

Do this with your entire body, and notice what resistance comes up just before you are completely dissolved.

And then throughout your day, investigate what it feels like to know even the most basic, societally-agreed-upon facts.

See if you can dissolve all certainty at any moment.

None of it is real.

All of it is a thought that can be seen through in an instant.

Enjoy.

Full playlist for the Wisdom Curriculum

Want to explore more?

Make a donation

Make a difference by supporting our work in creating free content for all!