"No one doubts about the doubter." Sri Ramana Maharishi
Doubt is the enemy in your own ranks, tripping you up, subverting authority, and weakening your battle spirit. Is this really what I am seeking? And what if I do reach the ultimate knowledge, what then, will I be allowed to have a beer? Or go see a football match? Everyone sees a lot of faults instantly, but few are willing to devote themselves to achieving the knowledge. It is easier to cast the whole thing aside: that cannot be, somebody being happy without possessing anything, or just sitting on the spot out of sheer happiness. Everyone can well make up several counter-arguments, but hardly anybody can, to their own damage, try it and see so that they know what it is about, and then really decide.
The quote of Sri Ramana Maharishi words tell us a lot. One who doubts, doubts God, sacrifice, the path, knowledge, but never doubts themselves, their fundamental opinions and the judgements based on them. If they focused their doubt on all that constitutes their personality, they would have to reconsider everything radically. Where did this opinion come from? Parents, school, friends, television? Is it my opinion or someone else's? And is the opinion absolutely true, or is it just a biased view of things? Have I given this opinion enough time and energy to make it a complete picture, or have I just passively accepted a shallow half-truth? One who would start to analyse all their opinions honestly would be on the way to real knowledge. In purifying one's opinions, one must start from the childhood; nothing is ever built on real, solid and strong foundations. Previous chapter Next chapter
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