Dear Friends,
The fifth faculty is paññā, often translated as wisdom, and Gil offers other words like discernment or insight.
https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/11407
Although the word “wisdom” may sound lofty, it’s a faculty we all possess. Gil says “as we settle in and listen deeply, … our psychophysical system will begin to discern what’s happening. We’ll begin to see more and more clearly what is happening so that we can respond wisely in ways that are useful and supportive for us. This use, the application or the maturing of the wisdom faculty happens gradually over time.”
This sort of wisdom often arises from suffering in the various challenges in our lives. It’s often some kind of suffering that brings us here to this practice. Our capacity to be present for our experience is not easy, and we can be supported by faith, trust, confidence. These two faculties support one another.
If what we feel is suffering, then the wisdom faculty is the discernment that says, “I’m going to learn in a different way. I’m going to find a different way to live this life,” and then to have faith that this is possible. There is a practice to be done. And we see that the faculties of wisdom and faith are mutually supportive of each other. There’s discernment, and the seeing possibility. … We hold our suffering with faith, wisdom, compassion, and a sense of possibility.
Reflection:
Gil says we could each write “The Autobiography of My Suffering” – that might describe how we were inspired to engage in this practice. What is in your story? What seeds of faith supports you in trusting your capacity to develop wisdom?
Poem:
There is a beautiful poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, “More Love, More Love” that has wisdom expressed as love. She starts off “If sorrow is how we learn to love, / then let us learn.” Read it in full here:
https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2020/05/31/more-love-more-love/
Meditation:
Quite often, the suffering we notice in meditation is related to physical discomfort. This meditation from Matthew Hepburn brings in wisdom and compassion as we meet difficulties in our sitting practice (23 minutes):
https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/61057/
With gentle good wishes,
Andrea