Category: Wisdom stories

A slide version of the SunWALK holistic education model – on what it is to be fully and positively human

A slide version of the SunWALK holistic education model – on  what it is to be fully and positively human:

 

HERE

 

.

Wisdom stories for enlightenment

Central to the model at the heart of this site is story as a primary way of organizing mind, education and social relationships – and of re-presenting reality and of enabling cultural transmission.

Also central to the model is the essential importance of having the spiritual intrinsic in systems as opposed to it being ‘a bolt-on extra’.

‘Wisdom stories’ combine these two concerns.

A beautiful set of wisdom stories’ are to be found HERE

—–0—–

All postings to this site relate to the central SunWALK model in the PhD.

Summaries are HERE

Zen, knowing ignorance & Janis

Perhaps we should reflect more about the nature of ignorance in order to understand more about the true nature of knowing.

 

Sharon Janis in her excellent Spirituality For Dummies suggests that;

 

 

There are two kinds of ignorance: positive ignorance and negative ignorance:

* Positive ignorance is when you don’t know and you know you don’t know. This awareness keeps you open and receptive to divine guidance. Knowing you don’t know brings you to your knees before God and helps you to enter a humble and prayerful state.

* Negative ignorance is when you don’t know, but you think you do know. This is really a double ignorance that closes the door to your own divine guidance. Thinking you know when you don’t really know is like traveling to a party on the other side of town with no idea of where the house is, but being too proud and stubborn to admit it and ask directions. Negative ignorance makes you drive around in circles and miss the party of spiritual jubilation!

 

 

Sharon also includes the Zen koan;

 

Once, a university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked on and on about all the intricacies of Zen philosophy. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup for several moments, until he could no longer restrain himself, and finally blurted out, “It’s overfull! No more will go in!”

“You are like this cup,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen until you first empty your cup?”

 

I have suggested that a useful model of knowing for educators should be a balance of three kinds – ‘I’ knowing, ‘WE’ knowing and ‘IT’ knowing – following Ken Wilber’s categories (see HERE).

As teachers we also need at least a simple ‘taxonomy of ignorance’ in order to gain a basis for evaluation and developing a direction for learning. Of course ignorance is an insufficiency of the abilities pertinent to each of the I,WE and IT voices but perhaps we can go further in understanding what learning-teaching implications there are for profiles of ignorance. What do you think?

—–0—–

All postings to this site relate to the central SunWALK model in the PhD.

Summaries are HERE