Knowing more by knowing less: Knowledge and the will to ignorance among Indonesian Buddhists

Abstract

In this article, I explore the theme of spiritual ignorance that is prevalent in the doctrinal foundation of Buddhism and yet is rarely discussed in the anthropological work about Buddhism, particularly with regard to laities who possess an adequate understanding of Buddhist philosophy. Through constantly insisting on their own ignorance about practical decision-making while simultaneously referring to the authority of their spiritual teacher, I argue that my interlocutors understand the invocation of ignorance not in terms of a lack of knowledge, but as a result of systematically pursuing knowledge to its logical end. To extend the exploration of ignorance, I also briefly discuss another important theme in Buddhism, karma, to reflect whether the apparent act of surrendering agency (by enacting ignorance) can be reconciled with the principle of personal agency embedded in the notion of karma.