We are at present familiar with some of Sri Karmayogi’s lines – problems are opportunities & contradictions are compliments. In similar sense He used “confusion is knowledge” in a few articles which will be interesting to discuss. According to him- “confusion is a state of development when stupidity or ignorance is giving up its rigidity. This process is repeated several times till knowledge emerges”.
We can understand this if we can give some thoughts on the following:
Irritation is confusion of mind- is because of rigidity in attitudes, opinions and prejudices- that prevents us from understanding a concept, a principle, an individual etc., after few repeated loosing of those due to life’s pressures we get a knowledge.
Sadness is confusion of the vital- is because of rigidity in emotional understanding. After few repeated pains we come to reality.
Misplacement, droppings, no neatness, no organisation of physical things, involuntary hitting is confusion in physical actions – is rigidity in physical. After few hits, loss of things or lesser productivity we come to knowledge.
In above sense Sri Karmayogi says, a man who seeks a stupendous progress – should be alert enough to see all confusing situation as a rule for evolution. He says this as KNOT of progress. As referred above it is not only the mental confusion where the KNOT is in indecisiveness, lack of clarity. In vital man it is in the sorrow, depression, and fear. In physical man it is in the disease or in pain. For example, if it pains somewhere after a hectic work – the KNOT is that we are not accustomed to such work so far, why we are doing it now and the motives behind that, progress behind that are the knowledge behind the physical pain.
To go into more on confusion of mind- as the mind is so refractory, the confusion arises when it cannot insist on its own wrong answer. Confusion is the mind losing the structures of present convictions, perceptions and opinions and prejudices and it is the state before achieving the next level of knowledge. So, it can be said as confusion is a state of an unformed intelligence. So, confusion in mind is the stage before clarity is born after the present comprehension and its structure are dissolved.
When we stress to think more on rigidity of the mind and its components -we may not accept that we are rigid. But if we analyze any of confusing situation – we can see that, it is nothing to do with our intelligence, capacity or even experience. Most of the time the culprit will be our rigidity of some sort. The most common form is not asking or consulting for a better option.
In-fact all forms of suffering in mental, vital and physical are rigidity of the ego- that gives corresponding confusions. Clarity of that is knowledge of the personality.
For example knowledge of confusion in mental- results in new ideas. Knowledge of confusion in vital – results in harmonious relationships and cooperation. Knowledge of physical confusion results in disappearance of disease, pain, prolongation of life or giving more perfect execution in all we do.
Appa in short describes this as: Confusion in – mental, vital, and physical is losing its incapacities to get the capacity to rise above the level of his life.
