Robert Buswell writes that the September 11 hijackers suffered from a lack of doubt. "The 9/11 terrorist attacks were fostered in no small measure by the certitude of a handful of religious zealots that their religious beliefs alone were right and all others wrong," he says.
I wrote an article awhile back called "Faith, Doubt and Buddhism," about how faith and doubt are understood differently in Buddhism than in other religions. Right now I'd like to enlarge on that a bit.
In many parts of the Pali Canon, the historical Buddha warns of the dangers of attachment to views, because such attachments keep one mired in ignorance. In the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha taught us to not accept teachings uncritically, but to apply reason, experience and insight to understand for ourselves what is true and what isn't.
However, the Buddha also taught us that vicikiccha -- doubt or skepticism -- is one of the Five Hindrances to realizing enlightenment. And shraddha -- faith -- is necessary to realize enlightenment. This might seem paradoxical until you look more closely.
I don't presume to know what the 9/11 hijackers were thinking and whether they were primarily motivated by religious belief or something else. But you may know people who are filled with religious certitude and who believe they have all the answers to life's questions. I am reminded of Eric Hoffer's The True Believer, a very wise book about why people cling to fanaticism:
"To be in possession of an absolute truth is to have a net of familiarity spread over the whole of eternity. There are no surprises and no unknowns. All questions have already been answered, all decisions made, all eventualities foreseen. The true believer is without wonder and hesitation. ... The true doctrine is the master key to all the world's problems. With it the world can be taken apart and put together." [p. 82]
This kind of "faith" is a spiritual dead end. People cling to beliefs to soothe the ache of dukkha. But by clinging to views they deny themselves the possibility of awakening.
For this reason, Buddhist teachers tell us to hold our beliefs as lightly as possible. Thich Nhat Hanh said,
"Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.
"Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times."
"People of faith" wrap themselves in doctrine to protect themselves from the pain of the world. Their beliefs can cut them off from others and leave no room for learning. The faith of the Buddhadharma teaches us to drop our defenses and live in a more courageous, open-hearted, even vulnerable way.
What about doubt? Doubt that come from skepticism also is a barrier. Questioning beliefs is fine, but the skeptic who maintains an attitude of disbelief is closing himself off from awakening.
It's often the case that Buddhist teachings don't make immediate sense. You may have to let a teaching settle in your heart and head and gut for a while before you begin to understand what it is trying to teach you. If you reject such teachings out of hand, you are cutting yourself off from wisdom.
The doubt of which Professor Buswell speaks is an openness to awakening that is not compromised by clinging either to belief or disbelief. In a way, this faith and this doubt are the same thing.
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