The World Through Zen Eyes Podcast

Ep. 8 - Beyond Religion: How Belief Shapes EVERYTHING We Do


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Every morning when you wake up, cross the street, or sip your coffee, you're exercising a power that shapes your entire reality—belief. But this isn't about religion. It's about the fundamental way humans navigate an uncertain world.

In this enlightening conversation, we rescue the concept of belief from its narrow religious connotations and reveal how it operates as the invisible engine driving our everyday lives. When you close your eyes to sleep, you believe your ceiling won't collapse. When you make plans for tomorrow, you're facing the unknown future with belief as your guide. This forward-facing perspective is essential to human function, yet we rarely acknowledge its presence.

The distinction between belief and knowledge emerges as particularly crucial. As we note, "If you see it, that's not believing—then you now know." This reveals the absurdity in statements like "I'll believe it when I see it." Every innovation, from flying machines to medical breakthroughs, began with someone believing in possibilities that hadn't yet manifested. The Wright brothers believed they could fly while skeptics merely watched from the sidelines.

Perhaps most fascinating is how belief shapes perception itself. We don't see reality directly—we see it through the filters of our beliefs, projecting our inner world onto the external one. Two people can look at the same tree or cloud and perceive entirely different things, revealing more about their minds than the object itself. This understanding offers tremendous freedom, particularly when facing suffering or limitation.

The podcast concludes with a powerful story about two hospital patients—one who saw only smokestacks from his window, while another saw rolling hills and blue skies. When the first patient moved into the second's room, he discovered they shared the same view of a brick wall. The difference wasn't what existed outside but how each chose to see—not with "meat eyes which cannot see past misery" but with "the eyes of the heart."

What beliefs are shaping your reality? And more importantly—are you letting them operate unconsciously, or are you ready to take the wheel?

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Dr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com

Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org

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The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastBy MyongAhn Sunim & Dr. Ruben Lambert