Many Faces of Doubt
Part 1
We may not recognize doubt’s presence because it is so interwoven into our experience. If it is so strong that we’re caught in it, we are frozen in place. Doubt is so precluding that it just stops us. Reactive mind doubt, or the doubt of uncertainty, plagues most of us most of the time.
Part 2
Doubt takes three forms: skepticism, chronic cynicism, and doubt of the reactive mind. We would do well to be mindful of the interplay between fear and doubt. Doubt, which is a mental factor, is difficult enough to deal with. But when fear, which triggers a physical reaction, enters the picture, our system may shut down and keep us from moving. Sometimes one elicits the other, sometimes they arise together. Discerning the components of doubt and of fear is helpful. It is particularly important to practice compassion and loving-kindness during these times.
