The Enemies of a Seeker of Knowledge

Every seeker upon the path of knowledge must face and overcome three foes if they wish to continue upon that path.

I became quite enamored with Carlos Castaneda's books in college, and read them all many, many times. Much of that path I have left behind me now, having found it not to be my 'path with heart', as Castaneda himself might have put it. But there are a few core truths from it that have stuck with me, and played a vital role in my development. Perhaps none so vital as the three enemies of a seeker of knowledge.

Now, in the intervening years I have become fully aware of the controversy surrounding Castaneda and his work. This piece is in no way meant to either defend him from these criticisms, nor to promote those criticisms. Regardless of the source of his information, or his later legacy as a teacher in his own right, this information was and is helpful to me on my path.

Wherever or whomever it actually came from.

And as I no longer have copies of the books, I will simply have to work from memory. If I get something wrong, I'm sure someone will let me know. ^_~

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The three enemies of a seeker of knowledge are presented by Don Juan, the teacher in Castaneda's books, as three foes faced by every person who seeks knowledge and personal power (the two being essentially the same in Don Juan's philosophy). Don Juan actually calls them the enemies of a man of knowledge in the books...but come on, this isn't the '60s anymore people. Get hip.

These enemies must be overcome if one is to continue on the path of knowledge. In Don Juan's conceptualization, to fall before one is to forever after be lost, and unable to find the path again.

Now, my own experience has shown this to be a bit more flexible, and at the same time more continuous. The enemies sometimes defeat us, but we can later try again and perhaps win. But, they may come again to plague us occasionally even after we believe ourselves to have conquered them.

To defeat them once is not to destroy them, but only to cause their temporary retreat. They will return should you let down your guard for too long.

Self-awareness and humbleness are your weapons against these dread foes.

The first of these enemies is fear.

When we set out upon the path of knowledge, what we learn is rarely what we wished to know. We often discover truths and knowledge that we were honestly happier not knowing. Many times, beliefs we held on to dearly are dashed against the rocks of evidence and observation. Things we knew just had to be true, turn out to just not be.

There is more than simply the exhilaration of spiritual ecstasy. It is hard, and heartbreaking, at times. To some degree, ignorance is indeed bliss.

Fear, then, is the first enemy most face when they set out upon the path of knowledge. To not only face the unknown, but also to be willing to learn what it has to teach you when it goes against your currently held beliefs, is harder than most want to admit.

The second enemy is arrogance/certainty.

Having passed the first foe and continued on the path of knowledge, you come to learn much. So much that sometimes it overwhelms you. You begin to believe you have already heard every argument, already studied every idea. You stop paying attention to what the world and others have to teach, because you begin to believe you already know everything worth knowing.

At this point, you begin to argue rather than discuss. You begin to tell rather than talk about. Instead of freely reading from any source, you might begin to only go to sources you already trust. The scope of your vision narrows down to one myopic reality, and new information is no longer allowed in.

You have wandered from the path of a true seeker of knowledge.

And, worse yet, if you have invested too much of your sense of self worth into this knowledge being correct, then you become once again a target for the first enemy. For to be wrong after always being so certain would dash that sense of worthiness. It becomes scary to admit you were wrong, and you will ignore evidence that implies such.

The final enemy is age/complacency.

After years upon the path, you become tired. So much time spent learning and seeking, so much learned and overcome...surely you deserve a rest now?

This line of thought can also once again open the door for the second enemy, arrogance. Which, again, can open the door to fear.

We each must face these foes on our own -- there is little anyone else can do to help us with them. Being aware of them, and aware of ourselves -- and being humble enough to be honest with ourselves and make a different choice -- is the only true defense available.

May you stand triumphant, always. But, should you falter do not give up hope. Even the strongest stone can be worn away by the persistence of the ocean waves.

Take heart.

Namaste.