๐๐ผ previous note, 01.02. Sources of Doubt
| growth | epistemic status |
|---|---|
| ๐ฑ seedling | โ confident that expecting results from a single sole method is like trying train the whole body exclusively with bicep curls ~ and that knowing a diversity of methods was encouraged by the Buddha |
| There is this idea in some circles that only one method is required ~ a practitioner achieves some degree of success with a method, then becomes a teacher of that method: many folk donโt want to make the effort to understand the suttas themselves, and I understand the temptation to just trust someone we hope is the expert they claim to be. Itโs a whole thing. |
This one is an easy doubt to resolve with recourse the simile of the cook, among other suttas describing the importance of knowing various meditation techniques.
Meanwhile, doubt can arise if one has encountered something like Goenka and they are not progressing with the sole meditation technique. If you only have a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail. Many of these one-method approaches are susceptible to repression and spiritual bypassing ๐๐ป, which have been source of doubt for me over the years.