The Power of an Open Question – Absolute Certainty

If we think about it, life resists definition. How can we truly know things that continuously change, are impossible to pin down, and are always open to interpretation? Can we, for instance, ever reach absolute conclusions about the redness of a flower, a moment of grief, or the meaning of the universe?

We’re lucky that the Buddha didn’t simply reach a conclusion or settle for an answer. The world is full of answers. If you ask a simple question, you can get a million of them, no problem. In fact, think of how many conclusions we reach each day: think about all of our likes and dislikes, our views about the world, who we think we are and who we decide we want to be. But have we ever been able to reach a point of absolute certainty about anything?

– Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question

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[image: Martin LaBar]