Beliefs: None (of significance)

"Examine and experience yourself !"
~ Buddha Siddhartha Gautama

What little I know, I know. Everything else, I must honestly say: "I don't know." There is no belief. I do not subscribe or belong to any religion, dogma, or any belief system (BS).

There is a difference between acquired knowledge and a "knowing" which comes from within. We tend to believe things which we don't know but wish to be true.

Religions are based on Belief and Faith

The teachings (Dharma) of Gautama Buddha are based on practice. Hence there is no good or evil, only skillful and unskillful, wise and unwise.

Think of a service manual for a motorbike. You follow its skillful advice and warnings about unskillful work. If it falls apart at high speed, we call that "Bad Karma".

Believers and Seekers

In the West, people are told what to believe. Some people believe there is a god, others believe there is no god. Both are believers who try to fathom the unknowable. Much of what they believe is something which cannot be known. Therefore, most of it is imaginary.

To say it grammatically, most Abrahamic scriptures are written in the "declarative" form, telling you the way the author believes what is the truth. Some texts are "imperative", like "You shall do..." or such, giving you commandments. If you do not obey, damnation and hellfire will be your punishment. Some religions even tell you, that you are born in sin and need to be saved.

In the East are seekers on a quest for knowledge and wisdom, in search of "Mukti", freedom and liberation. They know that they may never grasp the whole truth, but seek for deeper understanding.

Their ancient texts and scriptures are "interrogative", they ask questions and invite exploration. Thus there is no need to fight fellow seekers, but walk together in the search of truth.

Conflicts

The downside is that beliefs often lead to conflicts among people. Some believe in a faith and "know" that it is the ultimate and only truth, while others have a different faith that they hold equally to be true. When their beliefs clash and only one can be true, conflicts and wars arise. Politicians and religious leaders use this to further their own objectives. That's one reason why I don't subscribe to any faith or religion.

Profit in the Prophets

Religions have long cashed in on the beliefs of their flock. By creating fear of hellfire and damnation for which they then offer the only salvation, they create loyal compliance and thus a consistant income stream.