Why do we need to question everything about ourselves?
If we practice with diligence and honesty, then we must question everything about ourselves; we must challenge our most basic beliefs and convictions, even those we may have about the dharma itself. Of all the teachings of the Buddha, the Kalama Sutta is one of my favorites precisely because it encourages such rigorous inquiry into our beliefs.
Why do we have the right to ask questions?
He’d always explain to me that my actions had consequences. And, most important, he taught me that we have the right to ask questions about anything and everything. But with that right comes a responsibility: If we’re going to question the actions of others, we also have to be willing to question our own.
Is the right to question others a responsibility?
But with that right comes a responsibility: If we’re going to question the actions of others, we also have to be willing to question our own. The Kalamas of the Kalama Sutta were, like my father, a skeptical but responsible bunch.
Why is it important to ask questions in Buddhism?
Indeed, if Buddhism were not infused with the spirit of this sutta — a spirit of questioning, of critical examination — I’m quite sure I would not have a meditative practice today. I was raised in what you might call a tradition of skepticism. My father was the first to teach me the importance of asking questions.
Do you have to ask the right questions to get the right answers?
The right questions can take many forms, but there’s no doubt that not just any question will do. Asking questions, even the right questions, won’t help you find the answer or solve the problem if you don’t listen—really listen—to answers to those questions.
Who was the first person to ask the right question?
Not just any old question will do. Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, said, “The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.” If step one to getting the answer is to ask questions, then step two is to ask the right questions.
Why is it important to know the proper question to ask?
It serves as a pointer, aiming us in the direction of the answer. As Einstein put it: “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”
What kind of questions should a leader ask?
Leaders must ask honest questions with a real desire to get honest answers. Leaders must ask probing questions to get to the right answers. And leaders must ask challenging questions to elicit the very best answers. The right questions can take many forms, but there’s no doubt that not just any question will do.