When you refuse to know it is because you believe that you already know

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Question: Can this happen that ‘I don’t know and I don’t even want to know, and that there will always be something more to know’? Can this happen that a person thinks that ‘I am so peaceful that I don’t even want to know’?

Acharya Prashant (AP): You see, these are two different things, extremely different things. One can say that ‘I do not want to know’ because it is unknowable. So, wanting to know would be my insolence, would be my arrogance. Because it is beyond me; hence, laying a claim over it would be beyond my grain, would be beyond my rights. So, I cannot say I want to know. I don’t even have the right to say that. That is one thing. It is a humble statement of surrender.

And the other way of saying it could be, “I already know. So, I don’t bother to know”. When you say, “I don’t know, and I don’t even want to know”, you are still saying that “I know it is not worthy of knowing”. So, “I know so much that I don’t want to know”. Prima facie it appears that you are saying that, “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know”, but actually, what you are saying is, “I know so much that I don’t want to know”. You are saying that “I know at least this much that it is not worthy of knowing. Something else is more important. I would rather be doing that. I would rather be knowing that”. Are you getting it?

Prima facie it appears that you are saying that, “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know”, but actually, what you are saying is, “I know so much that I don’t want to know”. You are saying that “I know at least this much that it is not worthy of knowing. Something else is more important. I would rather be doing that. I would rather be knowing that”.

“Something else is on my mind. I do not exactly know what is in your shop. But I am certain that it is not very valuable. So, I don’t want to come to your shop. How do I know it is not very valuable? Because I already know what is valuable.”

Now, this is in complete contrast to the first way of saying, “I do not want to know”. The first way was the most humble way. And this second way is an extremely arrogant way. So, do not be taken in by this man’s words…