What is belief?

February 22nd, 2010 by admin

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” ~ Buddha

This week I want to look at our beliefs and how they effect our lives. We should all stop once in awhile and take a look at our beliefs to see if they are of service to us in living the best life we can.

Something to think about is that we accumulate our beliefs from many sources. Our belief systems are formed by our parents, or environment, our institutions, and our peers.

I remember my mother and I once talking about something that I believed that went against public opinion. She said to me, “everyone cannot be wrong.” I took me many years to realize the answer to that statement. I was an adult when I realized that everyone could indeed be wrong and are wrong at some time in their life.

It therefore stands to reason that the majority of the people can be wrong at the same time about the same thing. So to base your beliefs on what is the current belief of the masses is not always the best thing to do. Of course when you go against what the people believe you must be strong enough to withstand the criticism.

But if you look around you, you will see that there is much that can be improved in the belief systems of many groups. The watch word is “Think for yourself.” Allow yourself to be guided by your heart. Stand up for what you know to be true for you.

We humans can believe what we want to believe and can justify any beliefs we may have. But, just because we can justify them does not make them truth.

What we believe, we believe is true. However, there are three levels of truth. We will talk about the three levels of belief on Friday and in between I will present the views of some others.

I hope this will cause you to reflect on your beliefs with an open mind and an open heart. We all have room for improvement. If we were perfect there would be no reason to be in this material world. We could go on a higher form of life.

TODAY’S TIP: Take time often to reflect on your life. Look at how your beliefs aid or hinder you from living the life you would prefer.

What do you believe?