This text is from a book called The Flight of the Feathered Serpent. It has made me and still makes me ponder about knowing.
Lubbibbu
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This text is from a book called The Flight of the Feathered Serpent. It has made me and still makes me ponder about knowing.
18 February, 2013 at 03:50
Very interesting! Most of us do not doubt passionately enough. When one doubts intelligently and with passion… there is no need to be a mere follower (or leader).
18 February, 2013 at 09:10
The way I basically interpret it, the text is a “guide” on how to be objective. We can doubt “falsely”, but also “correctly”. Learning to be objective can be very difficult, since we have many uncontrolled thoughts and much illusory thinking. But always trying to reach to truth, not clinging to ideas that we like, would be a good start I think.
18 February, 2013 at 10:15
Good point! It’s so difficult for people to “not cling to ideas that they like”… because, in an immense way, they are almost always looking through a screen (of images and ideas that they were taught); not seeing via that “screen” is much easier said than done!
18 February, 2013 at 11:42
Yes. Of course there can be many beliefs which are NOT based on “what we like” as well; there are just so many causes for beliefs and they are not always easy to discover.
18 February, 2013 at 23:45
Personally, I feel that intelligent doubt takes one beyond the realm of all beliefs. True searching and true investigation (which questions everything) need not depend on implanted or provided beliefs (whatsoever). You don’t need to believe in the existence of a rare jewel (if in your movements through life) you have actually stumbled upon it.
19 February, 2013 at 00:24
Agreed. Having a belief implies illusion and is blocking the observation of truth, of knowing. When we know, we can’t believe. If we believe, we don’t know.
I know I am sitting now, so I don’t believe it. If I believe, I hold something as true without really knowing.
19 February, 2013 at 00:29
However, something that might be relevant to point out: faith in the text above, is probably not the same as belief. It seems to be common to equalize faith and belief, but they are different. Faith can really be objective thinking, just as doubt can be. There can also be illusory faith, and illusory doubt.
20 February, 2013 at 01:36
Very good points! Yes, true faith can be high quality objective thinking. For instance, I never really questioned whether “the sacred” is something that existed or not… because, for me, there was an awareness of the immense order and beauty behind (and supporting) things (even if such things were often disorderly, uncaring, and apparently rather darkly limited). But for one to go around expounding about “how one must have faith” and all that propagandizing nonsense… well that’s another story! Instead of acting from some keen insights or deep, intelligent perceptions… some are merely spreading some superficial beliefs that were implanted firmly within them… like mesmerized shoe salesmen!
22 February, 2013 at 12:01
Yes, there is of course a difference between observing something directly for what it is, and to have an idea, see it as truth and not actually knowing that it is true. For example having been told that santa clause exists, one can hold it as true, thinking that one knows it, without really knowing. Then perhaps there can be psychological desires or other psychological elements which make us think that we must stay convinced of certain ideas being true no matter what. But as I said, that is not the “faith” I think was meant in the text.
Rather I think it meant faith as in not letting illusory doubt remove the faith in what we know. We should doubt with faith the illusory faith and illusory doubt. We should see things for what they are. Uncover everything illusory in our minds and get objective (just observing things for what they are). Something like that…