Words of Wisdom

Nicole Mendoza27 · 2003-01-28T16:59:44+00:00

Who exactly are we supposed to call "the wise ones" here?😕 😕

Ryan Ruiz Member

49 messages
joined Dec 2002

#21 · Sep 25, 2003

Wisdom is really just the intersection where knowledge, intelligence, and spirituality all meet. To me, being truly wise means having the clarity to make the right call even when you're stuck in the most complicated situations, and possessing that innate ability to cut through the noise to reach a necessary conclusion quickly and simply.

northernfalcon30 Active Member

90 messages
joined Sep 2003

#22 · Sep 25, 2003

Wisdom is basically just learning how to live on your own terms, accepting the stuff you can’t fix, and actually knowing who the hell you are.
It's about finally figuring out where you fit into the grand scheme of things...
Real wisdom? It's just maturity. That deep, "been-through-it" kind of life experience...

Anonymous Veteran

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joined May 2005

#23 · Oct 18, 2003

Largo said:I’ve been thinking about how different philosophical and religious traditions actually define wisdom. I'm not sure if this thread has already been started, but honestly, I feel like this is one of those foundational questions that drives almost every deep philosophical debate out there.😉

The fear of the madam is the beginning of wisdom.

Joseph Davis5 Active Member

56 messages
joined Sep 2003

#24 · Oct 19, 2003

Joseph Davis5 said:Reverence for the Lord is where wisdom begins.

Fear keeps you wide awake!

Roger Allen3 Regular

337 messages
joined Oct 2003

#25 · Oct 20, 2003

GothicA said:Wisdom means knowing how to act correctly even when things get incredibly messy, and being able to reach the right conclusion quickly and simply.

So, if that isn't intelligence, then what is?

hiddenviper9 Active Member

81 messages
joined Oct 2003

#26 · Oct 20, 2003

hiddenviper9:
It takes real wisdom to write something at a place like Yale that makes everyone who reads it stop and say, "This is the real deal, I agree with every single word." 😁

Anonymous Veteran

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joined May 2005

#27 · Oct 21, 2003

"A student once asked his teacher how one goes about becoming wise. Instead of giving a lecture, the teacher led him down to the riverbank and plunged his head underwater. Within seconds, the curious student started thrashing wildly, terrified that the teacher might actually drown him. But the teacher held firm, keeping his head submerged. As the student struggled even more desperately, just before he reached his limit, the teacher finally pulled him up and asked, 'What was the one thing you wanted most while you were under there?' 'To breathe!' the panicked student gasped. 'There’s your answer,' the teacher replied. 'That is exactly how badly you have to want wisdom.'"

*

True wisdom isn't found in some dusty textbook; it's forged in the heat of life's actual experiences.
🙂

Joseph Davis5 Active Member

56 messages
joined Sep 2003

#28 · Oct 21, 2003

Vabina said:"A student once asked his teacher what was required to attain wisdom. ...: What did you want most while your head was underwater? To breathe, the terrified student replied. Then, that is your answer, the teacher countered. You must desire wisdom with that exact level of intensity." Wisdom isn't found in textbooks; it's forged in the heat of life through one's own experiences.
🙂

This story is essentially a version of an event that took place somewhere around seven centuries ago in China. A student told his teacher he was bored with breath meditation, so the teacher shoved his head into a nearby bucket or something similar. Once the poor guy was on the verge of passing out, the teacher let go. After the student regained his senses, the teacher simply asked if he had found breathing a bit tedious.
Regarding the Vabina story, there are opposing views suggesting that Wisdom and Enlightenment cannot be sought through sheer willpower.🙂

Anonymous Veteran

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joined May 2005

#29 · Oct 22, 2003

Joseph Davis5 said:This story is actually a retelling of something that happened about 7 centuries ago in China. A student told his teacher that he was bored with the whole breath meditation method, so the teacher basically slammed his head into a nearby cabinet or something. Once the poor guy was hovering on the edge of passing out, the teacher finally let go, and once he came to, asked him if he still found breathing boring.
As for the Vabina story, there’s actually an opposing school of thought suggesting that Wisdom and Enlightenment aren't things you can simply aim for or desire.🙂

🙂 That was a quick reaction. And honestly? A little expected.
By the way, I stumbled upon this exact story a few years back in the biography of one of the great last century figures. It was actually one of his personal mottos.
If we set aside strict definitions for a second, many sages essentially viewed wisdom as the ability to accurately assess specific life situations and react appropriately to them. It's about seeing the deeper meaning behind those moments—seeing the deeper meaning of things in general.

But here's another definition: being wise means having the capacity to judge correctly and treat people fairly in any given situation, based on broad knowledge, deep experience, and true understanding.
Personally, I wouldn't necessarily agree with the "broad knowledge" part in this context; I don't think raw information is the deciding factor here, but maybe that's a conversation for another time.
🙂 😉

Joseph Davis5 Active Member

56 messages
joined Sep 2003

#30 · Oct 22, 2003

Vabina said:🙂Personally, I wouldn't necessarily agree with the idea of broad knowledge being the key here. Knowledge isn't the deciding factor in this instance, though that might be getting ahead of ourselves.
🙂 😉

The Sixth Patriarch, Zen Hui Neng, was an illiterate woodcutter. He attained enlightenment just by stumbling upon a verse from the Diamond Sutra for the very first time.
It’s likely an outlier, certainly. But it suggests that what we are searching for is already right there, present without needing any extra layers.

Anonymous Veteran

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joined May 2005

#31 · Oct 22, 2003

A servant of God said:The fear of Madam is the beginning of wisdom.

People might argue that's true when it comes to religion, but here...👎

Jacob Brooks54 Newcomer

1 message
joined Nov 2007

#32 · Nov 8, 2007

What does wisdom actually mean to you? Like, what does it really take to be considered a wise person?

I’ve spent so much time just sitting here, writing and overthinking about this lately, that I figured I’d throw it out there and see how all of you perceive it..

So, please, don't hold back—write a novel if you want 🙂

I’m genuinely curious to dive into all your different perspectives and see how your minds work 🙂

And hey, I’m really hoping for some long, thoughtful posts..

bluebison70 Active Member

50 messages
joined Nov 2007

#33 · Nov 9, 2007

Jacob Brooks54 said:What does wisdom actually mean to you? Like, what does it really take to be considered a wise person?

I’ve spent so much time just sitting here, writing and overthinking about this lately, that I figured I’d throw it out there and see how all of you perceive it..

So, please, don't hold back—write a novel if you want 🙂

I’m genuinely curious to dive into all your different perspectives and see how your minds work 🙂

And hey, I’m really hoping for some long, thoughtful posts..

To choose the tree of life and wisdom means choosing a plum tree, planting an orchard, and just enjoying a good plum brandy. When you sip on that brandy, you start out by acting all wise; after a few more sips, you turn into a poet, and once you've had a little more—well, you become a singer. It’s a nice kind of dialectic, I think: wisdom, poetry, music. That’s how the Greek gods used to express themselves; they were wise, sure, but they also sang and played beautifully.

Plum brandy opens up these new horizons for you; you dive deep and then you sort of rise up into the heavens. That’s what life is—wide horizons, deep thought, and this emotional loftiness reaching toward the sky.

The plum is beautiful, almost as yielding as a maiden (I hope that was phrased okay? I don't want the moderator getting on my case), sweet and juicy (like that thing I mentioned earlier), smells wonderful... and the blossom and scent, well, they're practically an aphrodisiac.

David Young22 Newcomer

2 messages
joined Nov 2007

#34 · Nov 12, 2007

Ryan Ruiz said:Wisdom is really just the intersection where knowledge, intelligence, and spirituality all meet. To me, being truly wise means having the clarity to make the right call even when you're stuck in the most complicated situations, and possessing that innate ability to cut through the noise to reach a necessary conclusion quickly and simply.

If I were ever tasked with writing the definitive textbook on wisdom, I’d just use this definition right here.

David Young22 Newcomer

2 messages
joined Nov 2007

#35 · Nov 12, 2007

Roger Allen3 said:So, if that isn't intelligence, then what is?

I’ve always thought of intelligence as just one specific slice of wisdom... it's basically the part tasked with tackling those brand-new problems
where we have absolutely zero baseline to lean on—no prior experience, no existing knowledge, nothing to fall back on.

Taylor Alvarez6 Member

16 messages
joined Nov 2007

#36 · Nov 12, 2007

Daniel Chavez14 said:Here’s a little bit of my own narcissism for you:
A wise person is one who understands, rather than one who simply knows things.😉

Who am I to judge? 🙂 😘 🎉
Neither option is quite right (unless we’re talking about "knowing" with your entire soul, rather than just through intellect or logic). Real wisdom comes from accepting and actually living the truth. So, we’re talking about
knowing with your entire being.
Wisdom requires consent, consent requires will, will requires heart, and the heart involves everything else.
Without involving the heart—without love—there is simply no wisdom.
The proof is 😉
you can technically know and understand how life works, yet still
fail to accept reality, fighting against the very things you claim to comprehend. The only exception is when that ignorance serves you—when you weaponize your knowledge for your own gain at the expense of others. And let’s be clear: neither of those paths leads to wisdom.😘
To achieve true wisdom today, one needs a fundamental, existential
shift in their very being. This isn't something mere knowledge or even understanding can provide. We’ve seen this clearly enough with our own eyes; it’s as obvious as looking down from a commercial jet.😍

Linda Kelly51 Newcomer

9 messages
joined Nov 2007

#37 · Nov 13, 2007

No one becomes wise simply by reading books or watching movies.
We understand things on a much more profound level when we actually live through them, rather than just reading about them.

Information gathered from the outside is merely knowledge; true wisdom is what is cultivated from within.
The former is cold, while the latter is warm. The former is dead, while the latter is alive.

"The water I give is living water; whoever drinks it will never thirst again." These words of Jesus' carry deep significance. In esoteric correspondences, "living water" represents wisdom.

Harold James9 Active Member

76 messages
joined Mar 2008

#38 · Nov 13, 2007

Linda Kelly51 said:No one becomes wise simply by reading books or watching movies.
We understand things on a much more profound level when we actually live through them, rather than just reading about them.

Information gathered from the outside is merely knowledge; true wisdom is what is cultivated from within.
The former is cold, while the latter is warm. The former is dead, while the latter is alive.

"The water I give is living water; whoever drinks it will never thirst again." These words of Jesus' carry deep significance. In esoteric correspondences, "living water" represents wisdom.

I suppose being the smartest person in a small town doesn't require an education, but I doubt even Borges wouldn't be hailed as a genius in a place like that.🙂

🙂 🙂 🙂

Kenneth Peterson5 Active Member

124 messages
joined Nov 2007

#39 · Nov 14, 2007

Real wisdom? It’s just being able to actually live in the moment, for once.

crimsontinker7 Member

39 messages
joined Nov 2007

#40 · Nov 23, 2007

Ryan Ruiz said:Wisdom is really just the intersection where knowledge, intelligence, and spirituality all meet. To me, being truly wise means having the clarity to make the right call even when you're stuck in the most complicated situations, and possessing that innate ability to cut through the noise to reach a necessary conclusion quickly and simply.

That’s intelligence. Wisdom is actually knowing how to use it.

Words of Wisdom

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