Faith and Doubt

Right after college, I traveled to Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment. There, I was but one in an endless line of countless seekers and pilgrims. One of the things I remember best are the many times I stayed up long into the night, discussing and debating issues of faith and spirit with my fellow wayfarers and travelers. We were a very mixed group. Some were Christian, some Jewish, some Buddhist, some Hindu; some were on Taoist, Sufi, Sikh, and Jain paths. There were dropouts from California on the road to Katmandu, academics working on dissertations, linguists, world class athletes, mountain climbers, ex-Green Berets who had served in Vietnam, traders, and smugglers, along with the great numbers of monks and nuns, Catholic as well as Buddhist. There were those who were spending one night in an ashram, and there were those who had been there for decades. There were those who were devoted to one guru and those who had been with every guru. There were sages and schnooks, saints and sinners, and everything in between.

Bodh Gaya was filled with temples - Burmese, Tibetan, Zen, as well as Hindu. The Zen temple had an enormous bronze gong that had been brought by ship from Japan. At dawn and dusk, two monks would strike it several times, swinging at it with a huge log. We would wait for the sound, timing our days by the great, almost sonic, boom that could be heard echoing across the desert plains. At night as it began to get dark, thousands of Tibetans carrying butter lamps and lit candles would walk around the stupa monument. They would then set them reverently before the historical Buddha's gilded stone seat beneath the Bodhi Tree.

One couldn't help being aware of the amount of faith and devotion that was present at Bodh Gaya. But when we sat up late talking, it also became apparent that everyone had different views on what or whom to believe in. And yet, all these people had to believe in something, or else why would they be making such a pilgrimage?

There are many faithful in the world. We see them everywhere. Yet, there is no one for whom faith is automatic and immediate; it doesn't always come easily. Faith has to be worked on. Yes, there are certainly those who find it easier to believe than others. I've always considered myself a bit of a cynic, and someone who questions everything. Here in the West, I meet many people who have belief systems that include guardian angels, astrology, crystals, spirit guides, and demons, as well as God and a large array of traditional household saints. But many others simply don't have it in them to believe in something they haven't experienced personally...

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