Skepticism in Buddhism

One of my fellow students at Bright Dawn made a great observation today. She said that skepticism is more often than not frowned upon. Whether it be in religion, conversations, relationships, politics, or anything else, skepticism gets a bad rap.

I think it gets a bad rap because it is essentially a challenge. You are challenging a person’s belief on some level, and that makes them feel threatened. However, from your end, you are just following the first part of the 8-Fold Path: Understanding. You need to ask questions in order to learn, grow, and have a better understanding. In this way, skepticism isn’t only healthy, it’s essential to becoming the best you that you can be.