Reply To: Tipitaka Validity

#51458
dosakkhayo
Participant

Archaeological evidence isn’t crucial for cleansing my mind. I can distinguish between morally worthwhile pursuits without it, and choose the better option. So I’ve moved past the “seeing is believing” mentality because I’ve found that seeing isn’t always necessary. What we need is the power to understand through wisdom(panna), despite not being able to see.

However, reaching this point of sufficiency took me a long time. I’m naturally inquisitive and curious, always questioning things. Through studying Buddha Dhamma, I learned to discern what makes a good question. The right questions liberated me from san, while the wrong ones left it unresolved. Eventually, I began consistently choosing the better path.

I think if I had the attitude “I will only believe what everyone can believe,” I would end up achieving nothing. This is because there will always be people with different beliefs. So one must learn to take responsibility for one’s own mind and beliefs. In fact, I think this is the beginning of vipassana meditation.

Evidence itself isn’t the decisive factor. Let’s imagine that the evidence you’ve been seeking has finally emerged. The nature of evidence is such that (i) it eliminates other interpretations of the past that don’t align with it, but (ii) it can’t pinpoint a single, definitive interpretation. As a result, the demand for evidence can be endless. You could endlessly demand evidence to prove that the evidence is valid. You could keep asking for more and more, but this approach will never lead to a conclusive answer.
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