How can I trust myself?

Thay answers questions on 21 June 2014. Question 12

(Bell)

Dear Thay, dear Sangha,

how can I trust myself?

Trust is something that we cultivate,

that we should cultivate.

And it is based on our experience.

To trust is to believe,
to rely on something.

And we have to rely only on evidence,

on something that is evident.

Suppose you talk about trusting
the practice, trusting the Dharma.

Do we trust the Dharma?

Can we count on our practice?

Sometimes you have doubt...
about your practice,

about what you learn from the Dharma

But that doubt does not mean that...

It is not exactly something negative.

Because some doubt can
help you to get deeper

and to get a more
profound understanding

So doubt can be helpful.

Doubt can be a positive thing.

So if there is a doubt we have to
breathe and recognize it as it is.

Do not right away consider it
to be something negative.

In the Zen tradition we say: 'The greater
the doubt, the greater the enlightenment.'

That is the first thing we have to do.

And then we have to learn
how to recognise the evidence

and to...establish our trust.

Like the practice of mindful breathing,

someone tries to convince you
that mindful breathing is good,

that it can help you a lot.

But you don't have to
believe him right away.

You have to put it into practice
to see whether it truly can help you.

That is what the Buddha said.

Don't believe right away in something

even if it has been
said by a famous teacher,

even if it is written in
the holy scripture.

That's what the Buddha said.

When you hear something beautiful
you have to learn to put it into practice.

And if it works for you

and if you see that it works
for another person,

you can trust,
you can believe in it.

And that is the statement of the Buddha
in a sutra called 'Kalama Sutra'.

The Buddha was talking to a group of
young people of the Kalama Clan.

They asked him what to believe,

because many teachers had visited them.

And all of them said their teachings
and practice were the best.

So the Buddha said:

"Don't believe right away in anything
even if it is said by a great teacher

or even if it is recorded
in the holy scripture."

You have to base it
on evidence, like a scientist.

So if you practice mindful breathing

and you persevere in the practice,

you will learn from it

You will find out that
the practice of mindful breathing

can help increase your health,

can...

can help you to recognize
the conditions of happiness you have,

can help you handle
a painful emotion, a painful feeling.

In the beginning, you may not
be able to do it right away.

But you really have to try to practice it

and you find out that...the practice works.

And you have trust in the practice.

And when you have trusted the practice,
you trust yourself,

because it is you who
has done the practice.

And you say: "I am capable of doing that."

When you see a person who suffers
practice the fourth mindfulness training.

Say something, do something
to help him or her suffer less.

And you try to do it several times.

And one day you see that it works.

So you believe in the practice of the
4th mindfulness training.

And you believe in yourself.

You can do it!

You have the capacity to
make one person suffer less.

You have the capacity to
make yourself suffer less.

And trust is built in that way:
experiencing, practicing.

And we know that in principle

our ancestors have handed down
to us many good things, many good seeds.

It is for us to discover these good things
and allow them... to manifest.

The seeds of understanding,
the seeds of joy,

the seeds of forgiveness,
the seeds of compassion

are all in us.

We hear the Buddha say we have
these good things in us,

but we have to practice in order
to really recognise them as existing.

And sometimes they
have manifested in the past.

And if you practice well they will
continue to manifest better in the future.

And that is the way
to cultivate trust.

(Bell)