Doubt and religious belief often seem to be in conflict. Many people have acquired a belief that one can not be of firm faith if one doubts, or if there are doubts then one’s religious beliefs are at risk. I propose that these beliefs are not merely false they are harmful. The absence of doubt should be a flag that alerts us to a stagnate faith, or even a weak faith.
Consider science for only a short while and you will see that doubt has brought us many important life changing discoveries. Sailors began to doubt the veracity of a flat earth, one which if a ship sailed far enough would eventually fall off into oblivion. Scientists doubted the claim that the entire universe rotates around the earth. The history of man is chock full of examples of situations where a perceived belief has been challenged because someone suspected that something greater waited to be discovered. For people throughout history the desire to ask the question, “what if” has moved people beyond the mere acceptance of previously held facts and beliefs.
It’s true, not all the time were the answers beneficial or less than deadly. Caution is always advised. Standing still and not seeking answers is not always an option however. Consider the case of searching for cures to diseases. Not all experiments and discovers have been with out risk, yet advances have been made because someone has asked “what if.”
Being skeptical is healthy. Skepticism in religion can mean the difference from belonging to a cult and belonging to a faith tradition which can help you improve your life. Being skeptical can mean a harmful teacher or teaching will be avoided, and that even others can be lead to being harmed. Science has shown that learning to be skeptical, especially at a young age makes a person a better lifelong learner.
In Buddhism we are seeking to be lifelong learners, not merely robots or automatons. Being skeptical of one’s beliefs and the value of beliefs and behaviors is fundamental to understanding what causes us suffering. Without questioning both self and teaching it will be difficult to change one’s life and the things one experiences in life.
Last year, writing in the Times, the political scientist Brendan Nyhan explained how “identity often trumps the facts.” We would rather reject evidence than change our sense of who we are.1
This is one of the reasons why practicing Buddhism depends on you doubting and is also so difficult to practice. In the face of improving the conditions of one’s life it is often easer to reject the evidence that we are the cause of our suffering.
Buddhism, and your enlightenment based upon Buddhist belief and practice need require you to be doubtful, to constantly question your deep and often subconscious lifetime held beliefs. Chanting Odaimoku with concentration and devotion makes it easier for you to plow the soil of your harmful beliefs in a healthy way. The Buddhist approach is gentle and without blame or shame.
1. Teaching Doubt – “The New Yorker” Newsdesk March 15, 2015 by Lawrence M. Krauss
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