The Habit of Doubt

While we are supposed to not blindly believe what we are told, our skeptical minds can work overtime. Our reasonable inclination to question new ideas can lead us to doubt anything new and different.

This can occur with our practice of the Buddhadharma as we are told to experience the truth of the teachings for ourselves.

I can observe that when I constantly want new experiences and possessions, I will be disappointed because my ability to want far out paces my ability to attain. When I allow myself to become upset, I feel unsettled when the anger subsides. When I say something that hurts another, I feel remorse and wonder how to undo the harm I have done. Fortunately, when I am considerate and mindful, I feel good, knowing I have done what is right. And when I chant, I feel calm and happy.

So I can see cause and effect occurring right now.

But what about the future? What about all the things I have done in the past? If I'm distracted, I can't remember what I went to do in the next room! I certainly can't remember my past karmas.

At some point in our learning and practice, we need faith. Not in a religious sense because the Buddhadharma is not a religion. I mean faith—as in unwavering belief—in the everyday sense. 

People get married with the faith that they will spend the rest of their lives with their spouse. We board a plane with the faith that we will land safely. A lot of what we do requires faith. There are just some things we cannot prove in advance. But trusting the person we marry and knowing that flying is very safe, we act on our faith and fly happily off on our honeymoon.

When the Buddha warned us that doubt is one of the five poisons, he was not talking about reasonable doubt; but blind, unsubstantiated doubt. As the provable things he said are found to be true by us, we will come to the things that we need to accept on faith. At this point, when the teachings have struck a chord within us and we have been so deeply moved by them, we need to let go of our suspicion and mistrust. We need to let go of our habit of doubt.