An Emperor visited a Zen master to ask about the afterlife. “When an enlightened man dies, what happens to his soul?” Asked the Emperor.
All the Zen master had to say was: “I have no idea.”
“How could you not know?” Demanded the Emperor. “You’re a Zen master!”
“But I am not a dead Zen master!” He proclaimed.
Socratic ignorance refers, paradoxically, to a kind of knowledge – a person’s frank acknowledgement of what they don’t know.
To acknowledge our ignorance is the beginning of the journey to awareness.
Most of us think we know ourselves, whereas the fact is – we only know our superficial self.
Self-awareness starts with accepting self-ignorance.