Your underlying assumption makes little sense! Science does not tell us âthis is the truthâ of how things are. Science provides us with âbest case scenariosâ based on the interpretation of research findings. These findings and their interpretation are often compelling but science is not a dogma. We can have a high-degree of âconfidenceâ (faith) regarding scientific findings just as we can have faith that the sun will rise in the morning. The sun may not appear on the horizon in the morning for a number of good reasons. The Buddha explained why: all conditioned things are impermanent.
Therefore, âthe sun will rise in the morningâ is not an established fact but an article of faith - we have confidence it will come to pass (nothing more). It is best to avoid making absolute statements about relative truths.
We could argue that having faith or confidence in Buddhism is not like having faith or confidence in scientific findings in a number of ways. We may insist that the suns arising and disappearing is fully-explained by science and the liberating insights of the Aryans have not been fully-explained - they are just articles of faith. This is all nonsense!
A fanatical belief in dogmas involves an unquestioned faith and acceptance. I am referring to dogmas like religious fundamentalism and secularist scientism. People who have succumbed to these dogmatic belief systems âclaimâ to know the final truth about all manner of things and spend a lot of their time insisting as much! This is merely blind-faith - a âcognitiveâ impairment or, an inability to maintain objectivity with regard to their views and opinions.
There is a difference between blind-faith and an understanding that is well-grounded. Even, well-grounded faith and confidence can be misplaced. This is why we should maintain a healthy scepticism. Any sane human being realises they could be wrong about everything. It is only the insane who lack the ability to doubt their own perceptions that insist, otherwise. In psychological terminology this is referred to as a lack of âinsightâ.
There are good reasons to maintain some degree of objectivity when it comes to our own perceptions and deeply held convictions? It is a well-known fast-track into the mental health system.
This is why keeping an open-mind is vitally important if we wish to realise the truth which liberates. How are we going to wake-up if we donât understand ourselves? This is the purpose of Buddhism - the hearts sure release. There is no other reason - other than amusement - to express an interest in Buddhism. This is its function and purpose in the world - liberating sentient beings. It is important that âyouâ see this clearly - it is important that we all see this clearly - this is not a dress-rehearsal.
All of the above could be wrong (not factual).
It is certainly (not-true).
The truth which liberates is not an explanation.
It has to be lived.
Itâs not a signal - symbols - appearing on a screen.
Itâs not a representation.
Our perception of reality - even when itâs enhanced - is always limited and it never arrives at the âthing in itselfâ. Perceptions are always a way of seeing and they are always limited by what we are capable of understanding. Our perceptions can never tell us how things are in any âabsoluteâ sense this is why we should never lose the capacity for self-doubt. When there is a complete openness to âwhat isâ there is a point where everything ceases. This is the ending of the known and the knowable - Nibbana.
âJust as a line drawn on water with a stick will quickly vanish and will not last long; even so is human life like a line drawn on water. It is short, [limited], and brief; it is full of suffering, full of tribulation. This one should wisely understand, one should do good and live a pure life; for none who is born can escape death.â - the Buddha
âLiving in a state of discovery is ⊠staying open to new knowledge, new insights, and new experiences. I call this âbeing curiousâ: being inquisitive about the world ⊠and even about new notions of yourself.â - N. Merchant