Many yogis don’t know if they are applying wisdom when they meditate. Because they don’t understand what is wisdom. They are not familiar with wisdom – they simply use lots of effort.
Wisdom is understanding how to do. Without understanding you cannot do anything.
Wisdom comes from knowledge. That’s why we listen and read to get knowledge. With some intelligence, we then apply the information in our practice, that’s also wisdom.
Without this wisdom, how can we practice?
Also, we need right view – that whatever we observe is nature, cause and effect process and therefore impersonal. Although we don’t understand nature very well, we apply this knowledge first. Slowly with practice, more and more understanding comes to the mind.
Each person’s wisdom nature is different. In whatever they do, they are already using their wisdom, but they don’t realize that. They are already applying their wisdom – e.g. how to do something better.
If you pay attention, awareness is there and wisdom is already there too. Even when you cook, you are using your wisdom. So, now you know what wisdom is.