Sensei Sevan Ross, director of the Chicago Zen Center, once led a discussion on the balance between faith and doubt . It was intended to demonstrate the interrelationship of the two – specifically, that one can not exist without the other.

[blockquote source=]“Great Faith and Great Doubt are two ends of a spiritual walking stick. We grip one end with the grasp given to us by our Great Determination. We poke into the underbrush in the dark on our spiritual journey. This act is real spiritual practice — gripping the Faith end and poking ahead with the Doubt end of the stick. If we have no Faith, we have no Doubt. If we have no Determination, we never pick up the stick in the first place.”[/blockquote]

In fact, true faith requires doubt; without doubt, true faith is not possible. It’s a spiritual symbiosis, if you will – one that serves as a catalyst to our own awakening.

I must confess, I’ve been wrestling with my own insecurities lately – the result of which, has left me wary where once so very sure-footed.  It happens to all of us, you see – that feeling of momentary suspension as the pendulum readies it’s next swing.

This is the nature of groundlessness – reinforcing our understanding that nothing is ever the same, once again. Our suffering occurs when we try to dismiss the truth of this reality.

The Buddha taught that we might embrace all of these emotions with curiosity and open-heartedness – that we might utilize them as a means for spiritual discovery.

Doubt forces reflection, and doubt strengthens our resolve.

So, you see, even on those days where we may feel an unsettled mess – have faith, that there is great purpose in all aspects of our journey.

Even those, which are a little more emotional than the rest.