Experiencing Understanding

Experiencing Understanding
by Scott Bradley

I have been harping a great deal of late about transcending right and wrong and feel a bit embarrassed in doing so. This is because the concept itself is so prevalent and fundamental within philosophical Taoism and Chan that I am just perpetually restating the obvious.

The reason I do so, however, is that, after many years of nodding my head to the concept of this transcendence, I have only just recently experienced something of its liberating potential.

Intellectually understanding something may be an important first step in transformation, but it is necessarily an empty one if it is not coupled to experience. Can one possibly understand love without having experienced it? We must experience understanding.

I say ‘experience understanding’, but this is the same as ‘understanding experience’. Life is experience, and experience does not resolve to words or debate.

You can check out Scott's other miscellaneous writings here.