Question: From the spiritual point of view what is the difference between stupidity and ignorance?

Sri Chinmoy: Stupidity is a child of ignorance. Ignorance is the mother and father of stupidity, imperfection, limitation and bondage. What is stupidity after all? It is our fear of the unknown, the vast. In stupidity doubt, fear, anxiety, worry, temptation, frustration and destruction grow. But in the sea of wisdom, there sincerity, simplicity, fulfilment and the message of constant illumination and perfection grow. If we know that our inner reality is vast and infinite, we can never be satisfied with something limited, transitory or fleeting.

We cherish many stupid thoughts and ideas; in our day-to-day life we forget that we have an eternal life, an endless life, a divine reality within us. One of the most stupid thoughts or ideas that we cherish is the idea that we cannot realise the Infinite, that we cannot realise God. We think it is far beyond our capacity. This idea is based on stupidity. When we enter into the spiritual life we have to always feel consciously and constantly that God is inspiring us to realise Him. In our conscious inner cry for the Highest we will have our constant union with God. This is the only message that God wants to offer us in our life of aspiration.

We stupidly feel that God is eternal and immortal and we are all meaningless creatures. If we feel that our Father is millions and billions of miles away from us, we will never realise Him. We have to feel that although He is eternal, still He is crying to offer His Infinity and Immortality to us. Only if we have that kind of feeling and inner conviction can we put an end to our stupidity.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The illumination of life-clouds, part 1, Agni Press, 1974
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