Zen - doubt

Doubt is a state of openness and unknowing. It's a willingness to not be in charge, to not know what is going to happen next. The state of doubt allows us to explore things in an open and fresh way.

Like water, doubt is fluid. It has no fixed position. If you pour water into a round container, it becomes round, and if you pour water into a square container, it becomes square. In the same way, doubt or unknowing flows in accordance with the situation. It's the state of surrender, of being open to what is. Only when we raise sufficient doubt and questioning can we go further.

Our problem with doubt is that we take it to be a negative thing. We think that because we don't understand or because we are not sure, there is something wrong. When we get caught by the negative aspects of doubt, we wallow in self-pity. "How come I can't see it?" we say.

But this doubt can be positive. Positive doubt can allow us to see what this life is about. It can help us get rid of our complacency.

- BERNARD GLASSMAN AND RICK FIELDS, INSTRUCTIONS TO THE COOK