Each Knowledge Has Its Own Special Quality.

Each Knowledge Has Its Own Special Quality.

As it is said by Jamgon Sapen:

Although one possess wisdom in one aspect,

It is difficult to master in all activities.

Even a very clear eye

Isn’t able to hear sound.

As stated, presently it is very important that everyone –wise, foolish, old, and young or mid should know this meaning. Because of not understanding this great summary of phenomena, opposition between areas of knowledge; and attachment, aversion, disputes etc between intellectuals have occurred and are occurring.

For example, there is no certainty that a carpenter must know pottery and no reason that he should know it either. In the same way, there is no certainty that a potter must know carpentry and no reason that he should know it either. How could a carpenter not be perfect by not knowing pottery and a potter not be perfect by not knowing carpentry? Therefore the art of carpentry and the art of pottery have their own special qualities and both of them are needed and very important in our society.

It’s alright if a tailor doesn’t know how to cut hair and it’s okay if a barber doesn’t know the art of tailoring. Nevertheless if a barber doesn’t know how to cut hair perfectly and a tailor doesn’t know how to stitch clothes perfectly, then it’s a disgrace and is also left behind.

Similarly if we take five sense organs for example, however clear the eyes are, they cannot hear sounds and no matter how much sharp the nose is, it cannot see forms. Therefore, the five sense organs: eye, ear, nose, tongue and body have their own special functional qualities. Like we need eyes, we also need ears, nose, tongue and body. How could one persist that as eyes see forms, they must also hear sounds, smell odors, enjoy tastes and grasp touch. It’s enough if each one can perform its function perfectly.

A saying to B that your eyes are very clear in seeing forms but they are defective and also left behind because they cannot hear sounds and B saying to A that your ears hear sounds very clearly but they are defective and left behind because they cannot see forms, are strange perceptions of these days. Is it appropriate to affirm eyes as defective because they cannot hear sounds and ears as defective because they cannot see forms?

Each and every object, human being, animal, medicine, fruit, place, time and knowledge have their own special undeniable qualities that are not present in others. That’s why it is important to be able to make use of them according to ones own needs. Other than this, I think it is improper to persist that everything must possess everything and everyone must know everything. Again it is even more unnecessary to refute other’s views, establish one’s own and dispelling objections by saying you and yours and me and mine.

Therefore, to talk about important areas of knowledge required in our livelihood to show some examples are as follows. All knowledge like religion, politics, science, medicine, military, business, crafts, economics and so on have their own special qualities and from their respective places bring forth certain impact in the happiness and suffering of beings.

Likewise religious practitioners, scientists, politicians, doctors, businessmen, soldiers, policemen, craftsmen and so on also have their own special qualities and activities. From the past until now, they in their respective places have done and are doing many different beneficial activities to the world and beings. So it is not appropriate to interfere and criticize one other. There is no way of persistence that whatever one knows the other should also know.

The five sense organs are important to us. In the same way in this huge world we also need religion as well as science. We also need politics as well as business. Military, economics as well as medicine and so on must also continually exist because there are different kinds of beings.

One doesn’t need teeth medicine because one has no pain in the teeth but it is certainly needed for others who have pain in their teeth. It is not certain that an individual must know everything and must interfere everything.

If the religious practitioner from the field of religion, scientist from the field of science, doctor from the field of medicine and soldier from the field of military put into practice after recognizing their own special qualities and responsibilities, one is also happy and others are also pleased and I have a trust that what we call peace can naturally arise in this round world.

There is no history of clothes being washed by fire; and the history of clothes being burned by water is even more not there. Nevertheless the four elements have their own special qualities within their own nature. Making efforts to compare the greater and lesser between the four elements in good and bad, flaws and qualities are nothing more than the cause of self-hardship.

Since living beings in this world want happiness and don’t want suffering, the above mentioned from their respective places have done and are doing activities of arising happiness and eliminating suffering. Science can accomplish and eliminate easily that the religion isn’t able to accomplish and eliminate. Religion can accomplish happiness and eliminate difficulties easily that the science isn’t able to.

As these are like a headache medicine that cures headache and eye medicine that cures eye illness, how can one list the flaws and qualities, superior and inferior between each other’s function. For example, if a person who is well realized in the ground, path and fruition of five sense organs, doesn’t make exaggeration and denigration of praise and blame, superior and inferior between the five sense organs. This is established through our direct experiences.

Religion and politics, religion and science, religion and military, religion and business, religion and craft and so on are neither contradictory nor related. It is not necessary to establish these as contradictory or related. Let them be at their own places. Religion practitioner, stay at the level of religion. Scientist, stay at the level of science. Politician, stay at the level of politics. Doctors, stay at the level of medicine. Soldiers, stay at the level of military. Policeman, stay at the level of security. Craftsman, stay at the level of crafts. Businessman, stay at the level of business. This is more beneficial and significant to everyone- self and others, public and private sectors. It is not necessary that everything must possess everything and everyone must know everything.

If a religion practitioner doesn’t know religion, it’s a flaw and if one doesn’t practice it, it’s even more a disgrace. If the one doesn’t know politics, how could it be a flaw? If a politician doesn’t understand politics, it’s a flaw and if the one doesn’t rule accordingly to politics, it’s even more a disgrace. If a doctor doesn’t know medicine, it’s a flaw but if the one doesn’t know military, how could it be a flaw? The qualities and faults of a soldier must be classified on whether one is skilled or unskilled in fighting a battle. Besides, it’s not related whether the one knows medical treatment and whether the one manages business or not.

Mocking like a soldier pointing out his finger to a renowned doctor and saying that this doctor doesn’t know how to battle a war and a doctor pointing out his finger to a soldier and saying that this soldier doesn’t know medicine etc are neither cry able  nor laughable living images these days.

Drong Ngur Choje from Namdroling Monastery wrote this on 25^th August 2014.

Translated by Karma Sangmo