But what ARE beliefs. The standard dictionary description is that "Beliefs are ideas or convictions a person holds as true, even without complete proof or certainty, and they can be based on personal experiences, cultural influences, or faith."
These can be basic human beliefs, like I'm a human, a man, a woman; to more personal, I'm a doctor, a lawyer, a merchant, a thief; religious beliefs, political beliefs, cultural beliefs, social beliefs, and on and on.
Another definition I'm fond of is that "Beliefs are habits of the mind!" Habits!! They're basically things we've picked up along the way, from our parents, teachers, friends, the new media, social media, and the world in general. But the primary thing about them is that they are "ideas or convictions a person hold as true, EVEN WITHOUT COMPLETE PROOF OR CERTAINTY" So in other words, what you "believe" could easily be an untruth - a lie!
Over the centuries, there have been thousands of beliefs which were held by the general public as true. Some held so tightly that so-called scientists and philosophers of the day were imprisoned or executed for holding these beliefs and proclaiming them to others. If we consider that virtually every war that has ever occurred was based on beliefs - religious or political, and resulted in millions upon MILLIONS of deaths. So on a large international scale, we can see that beiefs can be exceptionally dangerous.
But even on a personal level, the beliefs one holds about oneself can be very detrimental as well. "I'm a loser, I'm slow, I'm (fill in blank). And certainly, holding strongly onto and identifying as a variety of social beliefs, especially when they are contested by many other humans, is beginning to slip into the realm of circumstances that created all those religious and political wars over the centuries. And we know how those ended up.
The reality is that we don't need to hold onto beliefs. In fact, when one looks at them closely and inquires into them deeply, very often, they will be seen through and fall away. For instance, any statement that begins with "I am......." can pretty much be recognized as false from the start. Why? Because most people don't have a clue as to who and what they actually are. When one inquires deeply into the sense of what or who is this "I", one finds that it is NOT all the things associated with it. I is not the body or any of the beliefs about it. I is not the mind and the myriad of beliefs about it. The first false belief is that we identify AS this body and mind. But when one is dedicated to actually seeking out the I itself, one finds that the I is primarily a word for the Seer or Experiencer of it all, which is Awareness. Not the body and not the mind and not the personality. Awareness is free from any and all beliefs. The direct experience of Self as Awareness is Freedom, within which all things, all ideas, all everything arises as ideas which the mind interprets as 'things' - mostly separate from the Self. Typically, we identify as This body and This mind, and everything "out there" is not the Self, or not ME.
But close your eyes and consider - Am I this body, or am I aware of this body? Am I my thoughts, or am I aware OF the thoughts. Do I even create these thoughts, or do they simply pop into my Awareness? Do I really BELIEVE all these things, or have they simply become habits of the mind (which I am not), due to constantly hearing them, retelling them to myself, and assuming they are true. Habits of the mind.
Now, this doesn't mean that you can't have preferences. The mind and body will have preferences of how things are or how they feel they should be. But you can recognize that they are beliefs and stop cherishing them. In other words, if things are NOT the way your mind wishes them, let it go. It's certainly NOT worth starting a war over, is it? And it's not worth beating yourself or anyone else up for. Love your Self. Love others. But everything else - inquire into it's reality!
Or as this Upanishadic mantra asks:
ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya |
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya |
Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya |
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||
Lead us from the unreal to the real
Lead us from darkness to light
Lead us from death to immortality
Aum peace, peace, peace!
deep love
Aja
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Good pointers!
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