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Immanuel Kant once said, “It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience.” Similarly, the Buddha stressed that there is no need for dogmas or blind faith — one should experience the teachings firsthand.

Buddhist scripture tells the story of the Buddha and a large sangha of monks going on a wandering tour. During this tour, the Buddha is met with perplexity and doubt, to which he responded,

“It is fitting for you to be perplexed, it is fitting for you to be in doubt. Doubt has arisen in you about a perplexing matter. Do not go by oral tradition, by lineage of teaching, by hearsay, by a collection of texts, by logic, by inferential reasoning, by reasoned cogitation, by the acceptance of a view after pondering it, by the seeming competence of a speaker, or because you think, ‘The ascetic (or practice) is our teacher.’” […]

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