Wisdom is the application of
knowledge to life — knowledge that has been fully integrated through
direct experience and
contemplation. On the
path of knowledge, wisdom is not the accumulation of
information but the living understanding of the true nature of
existence.
Wisdom vs information
A person may have vast amounts of information — memorised facts, quotes, scriptures — yet lack wisdom. Information without direct experience is just
ignorance in disguise, what is called "ungrounded information." Wisdom, by contrast, is knowledge that has been tested, verified and made one's own through direct experience.
Wisdom on the path
The path of knowledge aims at wisdom, not intellectual knowledge. The three steps of
listening,
contemplation and
abiding transform information into wisdom. Listening provides the raw material, contemplation tests it against logic and experience, and abiding makes it a living reality.
Characteristics of wisdom
- It is simple, not complicated.
- It comes from direct experience, not from books.
- It manifests as right action, right speech and right thought.
- It humbles, not inflates the ego.
See also:
knowledge,
intelligence,
intellect.