21 Ways to Wisdom

Find/develop/discover a wise approach to freedom from problems

Here is a list of 21 ways to develop/find/discover a wise approach to situations, personal and non-personal in daily life.

Wisdom means an understanding/clarity of knowing/realisation of a situation that frees the heart/mind from the problematic.

A person may claim “I understand my problem. I have meditated and reflected on it. I have explored it with my therapist but it hasn’t dissolved. It hasn’t gone away.”

Being Outdoors, Being in Nature. Photo taken in farmland near Reutlingden, southern Germany

In Dharma teachings, it means the problem still has the support of ignorance, of not knowing what you need to see and change. Wisdom confirms the end of a problem. Transcendent Wisdom (Prajna Paramita*) means a mind liberated completely from the spell of suffering, from the grip of problematic daily life.

If reliant upon a few ways in the list below, then we probably need to expand the number of ways we explore.

This list draws from first-hand experience. The Buddha also pointed to many of these ways to uncover wisdom.

Do you need to develop any of them in the list? What steps will you take to develop for wise living?

You could tick below some of the ways to develop. Application reveals wisdom.

Twenty One Ways to Realise Wisdom

1.       Application of Vows/Commitments

2.      Being Outdoors, Being in Nature

3.      Discussion

4.      Doubt in unwise views

5.      Experiences, past and present

6.      Heartfulness

7.      Inquiry

8.     Listening to Teachings

9.     Meditation for calm, clarity and insight

10.  Mindfulness/Remembering

11.   One-to-One

12. Practices

13.  Q&A

14.  Questioning Authority

15.  Reading Experience

16.  Reflection/Writing/Drawing

17.   Service

18.  Sharing

19.  Solitude

20. Teaching

21.  The Arts

We may doubt our capacity to make changes in our life or doubt our capacity to offer others the benefits of our understanding.

Doubt is not the problem. Identification with the doubt is the problem.

*Para means Beyond. Mita means Arrived. Gone beyond and arrived at the end of problems in the past, present or future.