Laughing Yoginis

What is skillful doubt? To question the truth or fact of something. To question and contemplate with a clear mind. This kind of doubt is encouraged in spiritual practice as a means to think analytically about the way things exist. But using the word doubt often brings about another dynamic. To feel uncertain, to lack confidence or trust, to be afraid of. This connotation is sometimes strongly tied to the immediate experience of the word doubt. It comes almost instantaneously and habitually when the word is spoken. If this dynamic arises it prevents us from experiencing skillful doubt. What can we do to remove the fear and uncertainty from our doubt dynamic, and open ourselves to skillful doubt? Doubt: 1 [ trans. ] feel uncertain about : I doubt my ability to do the job.• question the truth or fact of (something) : who can doubt the value of these services? | [with clause ] I doubt if anyone slept that night.• archaic fear; be afraid of : I doubt not your contradictions.

There is a saying, “If you have much, give of your wealth. If you have little, give of your heart.” A friend went to Varanasi, the oldest city in the world. Among many beautiful things, she found dirty water, poverty, and much physical suffering. The first morning she met a tiny beggar girl, only six years old or so, who probably lived homeless near the holy Ganges river. The small girl tried to sell a tiny arrangement of flowers to my friend for 5 rupees. My friend only had a 500-rupee note, which is the local equivalent of about 100 dollars. Fearing that the explanation was too complex for the native’s simple English, my friend said, “no money, sorry,” and walked on. A moment later she felt a tug at her skirt. The beggar girl handed my friend the flowers and said, “No money? OK Free.” She thought she had more than my friend, so she shared. There is a saying, “If you have much, give of your wealth. If you have little, give of your heart.” But how about, “If you have much, give of ...