Blind faith Quote by Karl Brunnholzl
““The Buddha himself always emphasized that trust is good but knowing is better. He explicitly put his teachings out in the open to be tested and not simply believed or accepted out of blind faith or polite respect for his sheer authority. Thus, if we really want to know whether and how these teachings work as techniques for mental transformation, we must find out for ourselves in the only suitable lab we have-our own mind.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Buddha's Teachings on Mindfulness, Karl Brunnholzl, 2015
Trust is valuable, but personal verification of teachings is essential for true understanding and mental transformation.
In simple terms: Know through experience, not just trust.
Key Takeaway
Test teachings in your own mind.
Themes
mindfulness
verification
personal growth
Mood
contemplative
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- meditation practice
- self‑reflection
- psychological experiments
- spiritual study
Key Concepts
Buddhist philosophy
empirical inquiry
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you create your own mental experiments?
- What does personal verification mean to you?
A Different Perspective
Blind faith can hinder deeper insight.
![“Hence, [emptiness] is also not an object of [something like the] cognition of Buddhas, because they do not have [such a thing as] cognition.” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c69/karl-brunnholzl-4600_emptiness_hence-emptiness-is-also-not-an-object-of_55069.jpg)
![“Here, master Bhavya states [this as] the main argument, and then he formulates four autonomous reasons as the means to prove the subject property. The venerable and fearless Candrakirti presents this by labeling the mere refutation of arising from the four extremes a "position." He teaches the…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cb7/karl-brunnholzl-4600_logic_here-master-bhavya-states-this-as-the-ma_140001.jpg)
![“Therefore, everything is the illusory magical display of one's own mind. It is appearing yet delusive, and delusive while appearing. Thus, all of it is contained in the body, and the [body] is again contained in the mind. As for the mind, it has no color and no shape. It is natural luminosity that…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8f8/karl-brunnholzl-4600_psychology_therefore-everything-is-the-illusory-mag_189022.jpg)
![“Not only can nobody deny the appearance of mere consciousness whose nature is other-dependent and not affected by the flaw of conceptions of a body with form and so on, but those who make any such [denial] only invalidate themselves by perception and such.” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/52d/karl-brunnholzl-4600_consciousness_not-only-can-nobody-deny-the-appearance_199293.jpg)
