Tag: Wisdoms

How does mirror-like wisdom express itself in everyday life?

Lama Ole’s answer:

If one simply lets anger pass by without getting involved, clarity arises, which is completely radiant. We call it mirror-like wisdom because it shows everything as it is, without adding anything or taking anything away. I would say that today the best expression for this is “keeping cool.”

You see how things come and go. You know that the emotion wasn’t there before and won’t be there later. So why get involved with it now? You just keep cool; you take it easy; you rest within yourself, in you center. You are simply the “fool on the hill” who watches worlds emerge and vanish, as Paul McCartney sang. But at the same time, try to stay completely clear and conscious of what’s going on, and, of course, try to share the experience with others.

You said before that wisdom is regarded as a female quality and activity as a male one. But that doesn’t mean that women are basically passive, does it?

Lama Ole’s answer:

No. Of course there are women who look delicate but run a whole company, and men who can carry two pianos but are very shy at the same time.

On the outer level, we are more or less either a man or a woman. Also on the secret level. But on the inner level you might come into the world with a certain imprint due to karma or habits. On the inner level, a lady might have a rather male character and man a rather female one.

Basically it’s just a matter of learning as much as possible from each other. We should develop wisdom as well as activity to their fruition, and understand that they lie within each of us. The man brings in one third of the possibilities of mind, the woman brings in another third, and the last third arises from the tension between the two—from their union. Being with people and close to them is in itself an experience of growth. It’s essential to complement each other, because all cultures that suppress the female element never come to rest. They are always fighting.

I developed most of my wisdom from women because I have a very male character. That’s why women were always my best teachers. There are also women who are very feminine and learn best with a man. Then they feel complete. And finally, there are people who are well mixed. They have both masculine and feminine qualities in equal parts and therefore don’t feel the need for the other. If they want to keep the freedom of having a partner, they become yogis, if not, they become monks or nuns.

Check out how you are put together psychologically, emotionally, and physiologically, because that is the basis from which you can work with yourself.

Could you please clearly explain the five wisdoms as female qualities?

Lama Ole’s answer:

I see women as bearers of the five wisdoms because I almost always learn them from women.

Very often, when it’s necessary to understand something, suddenly a woman is able to describe the situation as it really is. She then does or says something, maybe unconsciously, that in one moment presents the entire situation as a totality. This is possible because she picks up on things holistically rather than through concepts and ideas. That’s why she can show things as they are. Women can do that especially well when they are calm and not changing with the activities around them.

Women are also more democratic—you can see that, for example, with children. A woman dealing with children has much more discriminating wisdom. She can see what each child has or is able to do. Men would rather set up a concept and then go through with it stubbornly, while women often see more details and work with them. Another aspect of discriminating wisdom becomes obvious when decisions have to be made. There women are often very cool and clear.

And then there is the wisdom of experience. Who teaches the children? Who helps them develop? Who keeps the culture of a country alive? Who carries all this on? It works through the mothers. They are who pass on culture to the next generations. The men flutter to and fro, while the women bring in experience. This is also true when it comes to intuition; one sees that in many cases.

How do the five wisdoms feel?

Lama Ole’s answer:

After the clear light of union, after the highest bliss of togetherness, when the world re-arises out of space, one experiences the feelings of the five wisdoms. The world is clear, or rich, or warm and meaningful, or very distinct and cutting-through, or very intuitive. This is what arises from the clear light, from bliss. The world has a taste, character, or feeling. You take this with you into the day and pass it on to others, and then it comes back to you again. In the same way, the woman who leaves the arms of her lover also takes something with her. She absorbs his power, his bliss, or his abilities.

This happens either through physical union or through being together and sharing work or a home. If one is open to this, one can really absorb something. We see and experience the world through the wisdom and activity that we give and receive. A poet writes differently every time he has a new girlfriend because she has given him something new.