This week’s question comes from a recent series of e-mail conversations.
Question of the Week: 12-19/12-26
“You write quite a bit about the nature of belief. I was speaking to my dad about the subject, and he said that one of his beliefs was that “people are fundamentally decent”. I found his belief very difficult to argue with. Could it be that some “beliefs” are “true”?
Thanks for your great question.
Of course you can question the statement, “people are fundamentally decent,” but you must be careful in how you approach it. In order to go into it fully, you must also go into the relationship of humanity to itself. Also, you have to see the action of belief.
The Activity of Belief
In belief there is a tightness, a clinging and holding on to something that we think can save us or keep us safe. It is dependent upon what we desire and lust for.
- I believe in a particular god because of what it can give me (or because I am afraid of not believing),
- I follow a particular politician or political group because of what they can provide for me,
- I believe a particular “race” of people are bad because I feel completely safe within my own racial group and do not want to rock the boat,
…and so on.
This activity of belief – this self-centered behavior – is what we question, and not necessarily individual beliefs. There are, after all, millions upon millions of beliefs it seems, and we can question them from here to doomsday with little or no success. So we must go deeper and see these movements in their purest form, if that is the right phrase.
Now, if you look into the world, and you see all of the hate and evil and so on, you might want to think it is not true, and that people are inherently terrible. This is where it may be confusing. The statement people are bad, is a belief. It is based on a selfish story, after all. But the statement people are fundamentally decent, is not a belief, but truth. (although I would probably phrase it differently, it is close enough for our purposes.)
The Truth in Relationship
Human beings are completely dependent upon one another for survival. This is visible everywhere in nature. Even down to the cells in your body. It is all dependent upon relationship. People are fundamentally decent because it can only further the growth of the species. It is true that one can seem to grow through deception, greed, or by simply taking things away from others, but those people can not survive for long. If you look into history you will find it to be repeated over and over again. The selfish always fall, and fall hard.
You might also notice in the past, when humanity was at a height of compassion and giving, it is viewed as a so-called “golden age.” These periods of peace, bliss, or whatever you call it never end of their own accord. It is always a force of greed and selfishness that wants to take it all for itself. And eventually, and usually quickly, the force of greed is crushed and disabled from within by its own people, leaving nothing but dust, and stories to frighten children.
Then humanity has to start all over again.
Greed and selfishness may seem to win from time to time, but it cannot thrive.
I say, “people are fundamentally decent” is not a belief, but an actual fact. It can only strengthen the continuation of the species.
“My dad also said that he felt beliefs were necessary, but that they didn’t have
to be held tightly, and if he encountered a “better” belief he would happily
drop an old belief. I am starting to question the whole thing though – if
beliefs are so discardable why hold them in the first place? Does the mind need
them to function?”
I do not see that belief is necessary, but that does not mean I would ever try and deny the fact that people believe in things. It is a fact that people believe in various whatevers, and if you want to investigate all of this, you begin there.
It is clear that people exchange one belief for another so easily, but is it any different from changing the curtains in a room? The room stays the same, no matter how colorful the new curtains are. This is not to say it is good or bad, or that you should ever feel a need to be free of it. If it happens, never deny it in favor of something else.
You see the fact, ugly or not, and that is the truth that sets one free; not looking for something better.
That is the failing of the searcher. They may see the fact, but they can never stay with it. They always feel the need to create something better, while simultaneously pushing the “bad” away. And it never works.
I think I understand what your dad is saying, and he is not wrong. But I would not describe it as “belief.” Things may seem to change from time to time, and you may even find yourself letting go of things you may have once felt necessary, but that does not mean you are exchanging one belief for another.
Perhaps one may begin to see these things clearly, and in the process, these non-essentials fall away to reveal the necessities. In that case, you start living life for the first time, tabula rasa, and it is not a trade-off or an exchange.
Part 2 will be posted on Monday.
{ 11 comments }
Nice, Takuin. I might say “humans are decent” is a belief whereas humans require each other to survive and will thus better thrive if they treat each other decently is fact. Thus a belief such as this can be considered a useful or “good” belief.
As you observe, though, the important point is seeing that it is a belief. Then it does not grip you. It is a tool rather than a master. When we can see through the mind, we will see what actually is.
Perhaps theres another way to put this. A belief is a concept. The mind uses concepts to organize its view of the world. This makes decision making easier as we’ve already handled the background. For example, we have already decided we like sports cars, so we don’t need to look at trucks or station wagons.
But note how these pre-made decisons become filters. Also note how the mind learns by making habits. If we don’t observe our beliefs, then we are responding and making decisions habitually, filtering out information that is out-of-concept or out-of-belief. The result is we don’t see what is, we see what we believe is.
but what is? and when we see what is, do we believe then.
iamasimpelman
When you see ‘what is’ there is no longer any need to believe in ‘what is’.
do you believe in this?
iamasimpelman
The reason it is described this way, as ‘what is’, is because that is the experience, it is what is. When the experience of that inner silence/ Self/ peace/ being/ pure existence/ etc is deep or clear enough, it is self evident. It is, unchanging and eternal.
If the experience comes and goes a bit, there may be some tendency to hold the experience or memory. Then it has a quality of belief. But eventually, the experience dominates all else. The sense of being is stronger than any of the dramas of mind and emotions. Soon we discover we are that. Then that that’s all there is.
This takes place beyond mind or any ideas or expectations so has nothing to do with belief. But can be very difficult to describe.
There is still belief present but more and more it is seen as simply surface commentary without any relation to what is happening.
In this way, i suppose i could say that beliefs are no longer believed…… if that makes sense.
Davidya thank you but what is it other than another believe system you describing.
Really your comment was some of the best describing the what is. But still i think we are believers and we have to, because we are human. And hope you let my say when I read your comments what you are is a real believer a strong one because what we are talking here is religious – “unchanging” “eternal” “pure existence” “beyond mind”.
Amen! Halleluja!
Best regards
iamasimpelman
Kris – exactly. That is what Takuin talks about.
iamasimpelman
(laughs) Yes, to the mind there is simply what it does or does not believe. When we are seeing from mind, there is no other reality. It cannot be seen. Other kinds of experience sound much like other beliefs.
But when we transcend mind, we discover another reality. One much deeper and larger. Instead of noise, it is one of peace. Instead of anxiety, it is one of happiness. Instead of limitation, it is freedom. Instead of being alone, we are everything. As you will note here, many say it is difficult to describe. This is because we need to use words and words are inherently mind, we are using mind to describe what is beyond mind. This is why words of belief overlap words of being.
Religion typically arises after some person has a profound experience of higher realities and a group forms around them. Those that have not had the experience must simply ‘have faith’ or believe. But eventually, it becomes a system of belief rather than a record of possibility.
Kris speaks to the process as it unfolds. Some experiences may augment or discredit various beliefs. Eventually, the beliefs arise out of habit and become less and less meaningful.
Did I describe what I believe? No. I describe what I am. Not strong belief but simply what is. Because we must use the same words to describe belief and reality it can seem the same thing. For mind, belief and reality are essentially synonymous. But this goes beyond that and you will see it has nothing to do with belief. Indeed, our beliefs can be a barrier to it. When it dawns within, our beliefs are seen as shallow and false, ghosts of the mind. This is why it is described as waking up.
But I cannot convince you of this like this – this is all just mind. The only way to know it is through experience, then being. What is is nothing you can find in the mind, in belief or in concepts.
That is all very nice.
If one has seen this movement, and one is really there in that moment, even naming such things as “beliefs” and “concepts” seems rather silly. But since we are here, trying to come together, we’ll have to do the best we can.
If there is a believer, there must be belief. And that believer may go to a guru and ask, “How can I see beyond all of this?” But what will they do with the answer? If they find it, will they walk away, never to return? Or will they chase after what they find, in order to keep it forever as a new system of belief?
Of course, none of this is good or bad, and to deny that this happens is just madness. But let’s assume the believer is going to go for it. What will she do, and why does she do it?
The believer full of statements, and empty of curiosity.
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