#43: Why ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ Keeps You Stuck in Old Loops
What Thomas Gray and Patañjali Reveal About Awakening, Awareness, and Freedom
They say “ignorance is bliss.” But what if that bliss is just predictability, keeping us stuck in old loops?
In this episode, I explore Thomas Gray’s famous line alongside Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras to uncover a deeper truth: ignorance (avidyā) isn’t freedom, it’s the root of suffering.
Meditation, on the other hand, is the antidote.
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “That’s just how I am” or felt stuck in the same patterns, this conversation will show you how awareness isn’t a burden. It’s the beginning of freedom.
Grab a warm drink, press play, and let’s explore together.
Transitioning from Ignorance to Awareness
Moving from avidyā (mis-seeing) to awareness isn’t about collecting more information. It’s about pausing and training the mind to see directly. Awareness grows in small, steady practices that return the mind to clarity.
Practical steps:
Pause before reaction. Ask: What’s really happening here? What am I assuming?
Name the lens. Identify filters: survival patterns, family conditioning, cultural scripts.
Daily self-inquiry. Ask: Where did I act from habit, and where did I act from presence?
Patañjali distills this in one line:
“Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind” (Yoga Sūtra I.2).
Awareness builds in increments, not leaps. Each pause creates space for clarity.
Meeting Discomfort Without Avoidance
The Pain of Disillusionment
Disillusionment is raw because it takes away the stories that once kept us safe. Gray might have romanticized the idea of avoiding such pain; Patañjali would remind us that the pain itself is the doorway.
Ways to Meet Disillusionment
Normalize the collapse. When illusions fall, it feels like loss. Yet what clears away makes room for truth.
Regulate the body. Anchor yourself through breath or movement to calm the nervous system.
Seek true mirrors. Stay close to those who can hold space for discomfort—without rushing you past it, or fueling bitterness.
Discomfort isn’t punishment. It is the threshold of transformation.
Free Resources & Next Steps
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