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Deshtat
25 July 2012, 07:23 AM
I don't really know where to begin... that's what took me so long to post after my registration. I think this thread is all about scepticism. Don't misunderstand me, though: my intention is not to put any belief in doubt.

I just can't make up my mind. The only certitude I have is that nothing is certain. But still, I can't help torturing myself about vague questions: Why is there a universe at all? Is there a god? What is a god? What happens after death? Do we have a soul? What is a soul? Shouldn't all of the living cells composing me have a soul? And so on, and so on...

I guess that this kind of question has always tormented humanity. Indeed, many people tried to answer them. I have been told to read books, but authors are nothing more than humans, and they contradict. I have seen many scientist progress, but if science can answer "what", it can't answer "why".

Priests, monks, philosophers, politicians, scientists... and yet none of them is in agreement with the others. They're all both right and wrong.
However, there must be a truth somewhere. But still, I can't decide what direction I should take. I doubt it all.

So here's my question: How do you make your way to the answers your looking for? How to get rid of scepticism?

Thanks for reading, I know it could seem a bit selfish, but maybe it could also help others.

Twilightdance
25 July 2012, 10:58 AM
I just can't make up my mind. The only certitude I have is that nothing is certain. But still, I can't help torturing myself about vague questions: Why is there a universe at all? Is there a god? What is a god? What happens after death? Do we have a soul? What is a soul? Shouldn't all of the living cells composing me have a soul? And so on, and so on...
Virtually every "sufficiently evolved" human being that existed on the face of this earth inevitably finds himself confronted with these questions. Its our nature and basic need, to ask and then find a satisfactory answer to them which gives deeper purpose to human life.

I believe, a basic criterion for such answers which will be various and subjective, is that
- it leads to some level of alleviation of pain and suffering for the individual
- does NOT create / causes unnecessary suffering to the rest of the society
- keeps up with our increasing empirical knowledge of the universe

Most past religions and philosophies fail at the last two in different degrees. And almost all of them succeeds at the first point to some degree. Even a ridiculous belief like blowing oneself up will lead to a paradise in death with flowing rivers of wine and 72 full breasted virgins for sex to all eternity - gives quite good deal of satisfaction, that more than 2billion thinking individuals don't find much problem with it.


I have been told to read books, but authors are nothing more than humans, and they contradict.
That's nature of religion whose primary motif is political. Infallibility of scriptures, rishis, prophets, books etc are means to destroy freedom to seek new answers and solutions to the old problems. No religion is free from this blemish, they are only guilty to different degrees when it comes to damaging societal and individual progress.

It is a basic fact that all books, scriptures, Gods and opinion about them are man made. But no religious person of whichever religion can accept this simple fact.


I have seen many scientist progress, but if science can answer "what", it can't answer "why".

What is the difference between "Why" and "What"[I think you mean "How"].
But science really starts with "Why" question, and provides an "How" - because you cannot give an objective answer if you can't explain "How". "How" is already more than "Why", it answers the "Why" and adds the mechanism of "How" it is achieved.

Religion most of the time is incapable of providing "How" to any problem, and provides arbitrary answers to different "Why" without substantiation.

So really this conception of science not answering "Why" is wrong.

But when science provides the "How" we ask the "Why" again - and this can go ad-infimum. I believe this is problem our cognition and brain seeking a closed form absolute when such is unnecessary. It is a failure of the mind to understand that "How >>== Why" in the context of the question. In short it is a delusion.


Priests, monks, philosophers, politicians, scientists... and yet none of them is in agreement with the others. They're all both right and wrong.
However, there must be a truth somewhere. But still, I can't decide what direction I should take. I doubt it all.
Many of them don't want to agree or disagree, but create a arbitrary opinion of the fundamental questions which is not easily verifiable and wants to the control people with them.


So here's my question: How do you make your way to the answers your looking for? How to get rid of scepticism?
Why get rid of a cherished human quality which has taken us so far? If religious theories are inadequate and can't satisfy skepticism- why not get rid of these instead.

Rejoinder: Not everything in religion is bad, but religion has always been bad for humanity.

wundermonk
25 July 2012, 11:30 AM
So here's my question: How do you make your way to the answers your looking for? How to get rid of scepticism?

Skepticism was supposedly a respectable school of Indian philosophy (mostly championed by Buddhist philosophers) but it is frankly a philosophical and practical dead end.

4 suggestions to tackle skepticism:

(1)Our senses provide a reasonable description of reality.
(2)Belief in induction for one's health. I have eaten every day of my life to satisfy my hunger. Tomorrow is unlikely to be different.
(3)Overdose of doubt causes sleeplessness and sleeplessness is harmful (personal experience).
(4)Every philosophy fundamentally relies on unprovable axioms (this is a tautology, anyway). These are brute facts for which no further justification/explanation is possible.

yajvan
25 July 2012, 12:29 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté



I just can't make up my mind. The only certitude I have is that nothing is certain. But still, I can't help torturing myself about vague questions: Why is there a universe at all? Is there a god? What is a god? What happens after death? Do we have a soul? What is a soul? Shouldn't all of the living cells composing me have a soul? And so on, and so on...

I believe a healthy helping of skepticism in the age of kali can be a useful thing.

How so ?
Skeptical = not convinced that something is true; doubtful ; denying or questioning the tenets of a thought, idea, belief, hypothesis, etc.
A skeptic is a person who may doubt the authenticity of accepted beliefs.

Now this word comes from the Greek skeptics one who reflects upon, from skeptesthai to consider, to think, to look about.

So this notion of consideration, to look about, to ponder, is a reasonable motivator that can walk one though the forest of ignorance.

Yet if this morps into cynical , then one is challanged as I see it. 'Cynical' is perpetual doubt and dis-trust. It is contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one's actions. It suggests being bitter, sneering. This serves little purpose on the road to knowledge.


Yet you ask,


So here's my question: How do you make your way to the answers your looking for? How to get rid of scepticism?

I can offer you this to for kind consideration. Doubts are removed by knowledge (śāstrá) and direct personal experience called svatāsiddha:
svatā = the state of belonging to one's self , ownership as sva स्व = one's own , my own.
siddha = accomplished , fulfilled , effected , gained , acquired, well-known.
Thus svatāsiddha is the notion of being self-revealed, self-known on a personal -subjective -intimate level.


And what of the knowledge ? That is our śāstrá-s . More can be found regarding this thoughtout HDF, yet here is a start:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?p=86231#post86231

praṇām

sanjaya
27 July 2012, 10:58 AM
The way I see it, some level of skepticism is helpful, a lot is unhealthy. You say that the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. But think about this for a moment: if you really lived that way, then life would be unliveable. There are certain truths which you take for granted after just a bit of convincing. As Wundermonk alluded, you've eaten every day and conclude that you probably need to do that to stay alive. You know that the world is round, that famous people you see on television and in papers really do exist, and that the technologies you rely on every day work for the reasons we say they do. If you started questioning established facts like these and lived in a way consistent with your skepticism, you would spend all of your time rederiving these fundamental truths yourself. So I would say that some level of faith and belief is essential even for the most ardent rationalist.

And that's all I can say without getting into more messy topics like God, reincarnation, etc.

shian
31 July 2012, 03:49 AM
Every beings have their way and step to accept Dharma,
Hindu is wide and so many great teachings inside
even like a way to think and do karma or activites in daily life

like how to find peace in daily life
how to be a good worker
how to be a good father
how to be a good son
how to manage our financial
even Veda have , how to learn music , art
etc

we can start in every door that God made for different peoples , we can choose which is fit with us, which is bring goodness in our life, then practice it , do it

step by step, as long as your daily life firm and steady, we find peace and joy, then we will more and more close to God !

Even peoples who said they is the great philosopher and have beliefe God, doing puja everyday, but if this is without heart and cant apply to daily life, mind and life become dark, they will more far and far from God and even they will become the harted or the enemies of God !