ALL doubt is self-doubt

 

ALL doubt is self doubt.

Doubt can show up in many ways; for instance doubting your abilities, relationships, security, choices, other people’s motives, other people’s opinions, outcomes and even spiritual awakening, to name just a few. However regardless of how doubt shows up there are a few things that are certain. First, doubt always incites confusion, suffering and seeking. Secondly, it comes from and exacerbates fear. And third it is ALWAYS the result of identity confusion-not knowing who/what you are.

Because the ego(the belief in being a separate/personal self) fears the possibility of us looking at the truth surrounding doubt (recognition of Truth as oneness would in a sense be the end of the ego’s rule), it causes us to project doubt on things/experiences seemingly outside of ourselves. So all the myriad forms that doubt seems to take are really a distraction from the one true doubt…. again not knowing who/what we are.

ACIM tells us that T6.IV.6 “The ego, (then) raised the first question that was ever asked, but one it can never answer. That question, "What are you?" was the beginning of doubt.  The ego has never answered any questions since, although it has raised a great many. The most inventive activities of the ego have never done more than obscure the question, because you have the answer and the ego is afraid of you.”

Who is the you the ego is afraid of? Our True/God Self. Yet it is only the awakening to this Self that wipes away ALL doubt. And in circular fashion, doubt BLOCKS us from awakening to our True/God Self, because doubt is fear and fear is a barrier to knowing Love’s ever abiding presence (our Self). Ultimately then, in order to effectively deal with doubt and awaken to Truth, we need to be vigilant to remember our True Nature as infinite/Divine Love, to make this our first priority, to be aware of what each seeming doubt is really about, and then begin to disengage from ego’s grip through remaining in/as Love (God) which will dissolve all doubt and fear.

The spiritual Sage, Sadhu Om stated: “Whatever doubt may rise, it cannot rise without the rising of you (ego) the first to have risen-who raised it. Therefore the primal doubt, namely that of not knowing who you are, is the root of all doubts. Until this primal doubt is cleared, replying to your other doubts will be just like cutting the leaves off the branches of a tree, because they will sprout again! But if the root is cut, they will not sprout again!”

Likewise the mystic, Osho stated, “The mind goes on questioning. In the mind questions come as leaves come on a tree. That is the very nature of the mind – to question. So it goes on questioning. It matters not what you are questioning, with anything given to the mind it will create a question. It is a machine to grind out, to create questions. So give it anything and it will cut it into pieces and create many questions. One question answered, and the mind will create many questions from the answer. This has been the whole history of philosophy…… Mind IS the doubt. It is not that the mind doubts, mind is the doubt! Unless the mind dissolves, doubts can- not be cleared.”(mind here is synonymous with ego)

In Buddhism doubt is one of the five hindrances to gaining insight and spiritual clarity. In one of the Buddhist scriptures, it states: “When skeptical doubt is present in him, the monk knows, "There is skeptical doubt in me," or when skeptical doubt is absent he knows, "There is no skeptical doubt in me." He knows how the arising of non-arisen skeptical doubt comes to be; he knows how the rejection of the arisen skeptical doubt comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the rejected skeptical doubt comes to be.” Satipatthana Sutta.  AND it is taught in Buddhism that all suffering comes from ignorance--- of who/what we are.

Knowing our True/God Self is the answer to all seeming problems, including doubt. As such, knowing our Self has been emphasized by all wisdom traditions as the key to wisdom.

For example, in Greece, above the entrance to the temple of Apollo in Delphi it states, “Know Thy Self” and was accordingly an instruction from the Oracle of Delphi (the Divine seer). It is also said that in addition to this instruction, that in the Sybils’ quarters (those being instructed as Divine oracles) on the walls it was written, : I warn you, whoever you are, Oh! You who want to probe the “Arcana of Nature”, that if you do not find “within yourself” that which you are looking for, you shall not find it outside either! If you ignore the excellences of your own house, how do you pretend to find other excellences? Within you is hidden the treasure of treasures! “Know Thyself” and you will know the Universe and the Gods.”

To begin to remove doubt it needs to be looked at without engagment or attachment, rather to be seen for the nothingness that it is. It needs to be recognized that doubt is just another manifestation of egoic thinking (remember the ego is really NOTHING—it is only a false belief) and while one is free to engage in it(ego) as long as they wish, it is this that creates all suffering. 

ACIM reminds us that we are always presented with the chance to “Choose once again,” and the Bible also says, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” They are saying the same thing: we can choose to identify with ego/doubt/suffering or we can choose to identify with God/Spirit/Love=Freedom in the highest sense.

To deal with doubt, the following steps can be taken:

1.     Increase your level of awareness by making it a habit to watch your thoughts and feelings and physical sensations (all which demonstrate the beliefs held in the mind). It’s good to this regularly through the day and through a formal meditation practice.

2.     When you notice any indication of doubt, regardless of the seeming form, return your awareness to the fact that it is really the experience of doubting who/what you are; you are identifying with a false self.

3.     Then claim the Truth. Claim/move to the awareness of BEING the presence of Love/God, the Divine itself, the one I Am Presence. Set the intention that the Love that you are heal your mind of the false beliefs that keep you bound to the false/personal identity. This step does not have to be done with words, for words are only symbolic; it can be the decision to allow yourself to FEEL the expansiveness of what you are, and to feel the sense of Love that you are, which shows up as acceptance/non-resistance and is that which begins to dissolve these beliefs from the mind.

Another important factor in considering doubt is Trust, which is the antidote and is antithetical to doubt; they cannot be experienced simultaneously as they will in essence, cancel each other out. So in addition overcoming doubt, we also need to increase our trust; this is necessary for spiritual awakening. In ACIM the development of trust is the first described characteristic of the “Teachers of God” (those who recognize that their needs are not separate from others i.e…. the unity of all). To build trust, ACIM states 26.III.2.3 “trust would settle every problem now,”  in W348: “in every need That I perceive, Your grace suffices me” and we are also told that when we make the decision to awaken to Truth, that we can trust that it is inevitable, because it actually is already true we just need to remember it. In T 20.IV.8 it states, “But ask yourself if it is possible that God would have a plan for your salvation(enlightenment/awakening) that does not work. Once you accept His plan as the one function that you would fulfill, there will be nothing else the Holy Spirit will not arrange for you without your effort. He will go before you making straight your path, and leaving in your way no stones to trip on, and no obstacles to bar your way. Nothing you need will be denied you. Not one seeming difficulty but will melt away before you reach it. You need take thought for nothing, careless of everything except the only purpose that you would fulfill. As that was given you, so will its fulfillment be. God's guarantee will hold against all obstacles, for it rests on certainty and not contingency.  It rests on you.  And what can be more certain than a Son of God?”

Further, because we give all things/experiences all the meaning they have, we can CHOOSE to let the purpose/meaning of all things/experiences to be for our healing and spiritual awakening. Making the choice to do this, is absolutely within our control. Because God is the very essence of our Self, the power of God, which is the only power, is ours and so we can utilize that power to choose to allow all things to assist in our awakening. Again, it’s all about choice.

Here are segments of ACIM Lesson 47 which beautiful encapsulates all that has been said here and offer a beautiful meditation practice to help get in touch with Truth.  

    "W-pI.47.1. If you are trusting in your own (ego/personal self) strength, you have every reason to be     apprehensive, anxious and fearful (doubtful). What can you predict or control? What is there in you         that can be counted on? What would give you the ability to be aware of all the facets of any problem,     and to resolve them in such a way that only good can come of it? What is there in you that gives you     the recognition of the right solution, and the guarantee that it will be accomplished?

     Of yourself you can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to put your trust where trust         is unwarranted, and to justify fear, anxiety, depression, anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in         weakness and feel safe? Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak?

    God (Infinite/Divine Love/Mind) is your safety in every circumstance….

    Today we will try to reach past your own weakness to the Source of real strength. Close your eyes         and begin, as usual, by repeating the idea for the day. Then spend a minute or two in searching for         situations in your life which you have invested with fear, dismissing each one by telling yourself:

    God is the strength in which I trust.

    Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It is obvious that any            situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would     believe that you could deal with the situation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself (as separate        from God/Love) that you will gain confidence.  But the strength of God in you is successful in all        things.

    The recognition of your own (egoic) frailty is a necessary step in the correction of your errors, but it     is hardly a sufficient one in giving you the confidence which you need, and to which you are entitled.     You must also gain an awareness that confidence in your real strength (as an aspect/extension of             God) is fully justified in every respect and in all circumstances…

    Try to reach down into your mind to a place of real safety. You will recognize that you have reached     it if you feel a sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go all the trivial things that churn and bubble     on the surface of your mind, and reach down and below them to the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a        place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There     is a place in you where the strength of God abides.

    During the day, repeat the idea often. Use it as your answer to any disturbance. Remember that peace     is your right, because you are giving your trust to the strength of God."

I trust implicitly that as I continue with this process, that I am going to the root of all doubt (i.e. ego) and will absolutely fully remember/awaken to Truth. While doubt continues to show up in this mind, on a somewhat regular basis as it has been a well engrained habit, I am dedicated to knowing my One True Self, and thus end all false self doubt. Even as these words are expressed, gratitude wells up within, the words disappear and a joyous and expansive feeling eclipses any sense of doubt of who/what I am which is beyond all words.