Gaining The Ability To Be Skeptical

[Max_V]

I tend to believe things very easily. This is something that has been troubling me for a while and I have now really become aware of this.

Every time I watch a video of Leo, read a book or gain some other piece of information, I tend to instantly believe it if I admire or have respect for the source of information without actually confirming it for myself. When I self inquire for example, it feels like I've already heared what I am from spiritual teachers so it is insignificant to even confirm this for myself. How do I go beyond this? How can I become more skeptical?

 

Edited October 8, 2017 by Max_V

[vizual]

You are still young. Skepticism comes with age and experiences. Stay open to different perspectives. It's not bad to accept a certain perspective from someone, but be mindful that your perspective will most certainly change with age and experience. Don't try to stubbornly hold on to your own perspective, nor the perspective of others. At the end of the day, there is no perfect way of seeing something. The best you can do is to try to look at things from multiple angles and use your intuition which seems most true to you. The more viewpoints you have at your disposal, the more likely you will have pick the right one in a given time.

[Forestluv]

Spend more time in nature.

[Joseph Maynor]

On 10/8/2017 at 3:57 AM, Max_V said:

I tend to believe things very easily. This is something that has been troubling me for a while and I have now really become aware of this.

Every time I watch a video of Leo, read a book or gain some other piece of information, I tend to instantly believe it if I admire or have respect for the source of information without actually confirming it for myself. When I self inquire for example, it feels like I've already heared what I am from spiritual teachers so it is insignificant to even confirm this for myself. How do I go beyond this? How can I become more skeptical?

 

Are you sure this is a real problem and not one invented by the mind?  The ego will try to sabotage in this way by undermining confidence.  That’s why you need to get to a state of not knowing to remove that fodder for the ego to exploit.  Not knowing knowing.  Not doing doing.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Leo Gura]

@Max_V You need to draw a sharp distinction between beliefs and direct experience.

Sit down and make of list of things you know from direct experience vs beliefs you hold from hearsay.

For example:

Beliefs:

• Earth is round
• DNA
• Evolution
• Dinosaurs
• Big Bang
• Antarctica
• World War 2
• Molecules
• etc.

Direct experience:

• I have hands
• I had a cat
• I like sushi
• Water washes clothes
• Fire burns
• Salt makes me thirsty
• Snow is cold
• Pee is yellow

And then realize, 99.9% of what you consider "reality" is literally just words you heard. Stop treating this issue as merely a philosophic consideration, but as what's the case. Your entire reality is a house of cards. The significance of this cannot be overstated.

Don't think about this. Actually do it!

[MM1988]

Beliefs:

• Enlightenment exists
• Meditation is not only just a romanticised breathing exercise
• The holocaust happened
• The world isn't led by reptilians disguising as politicians

[Leo Gura]

@MM1988 That's precisely right. But not nearly sufficient.

[Joseph Maynor]

Here's a great video to watch if you haven't watched this one: