Judgment vs Discernment
How can we tell the difference, and how to strike the balance?
Yoga teaches us that we should aim to stop judging and instead start using discernment.
Judgment involves seeing things from only one side. It causes us to label things as either good or bad, positive or negative.
Judgment is biased, emotional and caused by ‘avidya’ or ignorance. It usually results in irrational behaviour that we must later correct.
When we judge, we place people above or below us – on a pedestal or in the pit, as one of my teachers would say. This is something we want to avoid, for rather than put people up or down, we should aim to put them in our heart.
Our judgments are one of the primary causes of psychological suffering, both our own and others’. Accordingly, if we would like to experience more peace and love in our life, we should work to transcend our temptation to judge.
Non-judgment was one the central teachings of Jesus also.
Who are you to judge your neighbour? James 4.12
Let any one of thee who is without sin, cast the first stone. John 7.53
How should we approach life then? Is judging not unavoidable in life?
Indeed, in life we do need to distinguish between things, weigh up different courses of action and make decisions. We must make selections based on our own value judgments, and the decisions we make shape our destiny.
But it’s possible to train ourselves to do this without the judgmental energy in which we condemn or condone, making things and people good and evil.
Discernment is the ability to decide and act after seeing a person or situation truthfully. That is, after seeing it from all sides and weighing the facts as objectively and unbiasedly as possible.
When we use discernment instead of judgment, we act in a measured and balanced way rather than reacting emotionally. We choose the path that is most appropriate for us at the time without labelling the other paths as bad.
It is a difficult task. A lifelong task. Get practising!
One becomes firmly established in the non-fluctuating state only through dedicated, continuous practice over a long time. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1.12
By Anthony Salerno. Anthony is the author of Beyond the Emotional Roller Coaster, a guide to experiencing the peace, joy and love you deserve, and Yoga Wisdom Oracle Cards. His blog, Unplugged and Awake, discusses how to break free, think for ourselves and live meaningful lives that contribute to society. Read more