Doubt and Wrong-View

Buddhists tend to get doubt (vicikicchā) and wrong-view (diṭṭhi) mixed-up, or confused one with the other. For many Buddhist when somebody holds wrong-view that person must also have doubt. And vice versa, when a person has doubt he must have also fallen into wrong-view. But actually doubt and wrong view are very different one from the other. They have very different nature.

Doubt has the characteristic of doubting thus “Is it so? Is it not so?” Its function is to cause the mind to waver among different objects of the mind.  Even when the mind is considering one object it causes the mind to waver to other objects by thinking “Is it so? Is it not so? Is it this? Is it another?” It manifest as indecisiveness, i.e. the mind in a dilemma, unable to decide. Due to this indecision the mind wavers, shakes, runs back and forth among different objects, uncertain. Soon it becomes paralyzed by this uncertainty and bewildered by perplexity. The mind becomes confused and weak.

This confusion is a feature of the mind plagued with doubt. It indicates a strong presence of delusion (moha). That is why in Abhidhamma doubt is said to be associated with only one class of consciousness (citta), the consciousness rooted in sheer delusion (momūha-citta). In this class of consciousness the characteristic of delusion, i.e. mental blindness and unknowing, and its function, i.e. concealing the real nature of the object and preventing its penetration, is especially prominent. Such is the nature of the consciousness or mind that doubt is associated with.

Because of the wavering, the indecisiveness and the perplexity in the mind when it is overtaken by doubt, the mind is unable to hold on to any object effectively nor can it see the object clearly. As a result it can achieve neither concentration nor wisdom. For this reason the Buddha listed doubt as one of the five hindrances to the practice of meditation. Doubt hinders, it obstructs both concentration and wisdom.

Wrong-view has the characteristic of unwise (ayoniso) conviction. Its function is to misapprehend. It overshoots the true nature of the object and apprehends its nature to be other than what it really is. Then based on this misapprehension the mind becomes convinced “Only this is true, the rest are wrong.” (Majjhima Nikāya Sutta 72) This wrong conviction is how wrong-view manifests in the mind.

Unlike doubt which causes the mind to waver, shake, become perplexed and weak, wrong view gives conviction to the mind, albeit a wrong conviction. In some Texts this kind of wrong conviction is termed wrong conclusion (micchā adhimokkha), i.e. the mind has arrived at a wrong conclusion or decision. In some cases the conviction that wrong-view lends to the mind can be so strong that one becomes close-minded and insists that only one’s own view is correct and other views are wrong. The mind can become stubborn, unyielding, and rigid as a result, refusing to see things any other way other than through the lens of one’s own view. This strong clinging to wrong-view is due to the presence of attachment (lobha) with which wrong-view is always associated with.

So wrong-view can give strength to the mind, causing it to become firm in its conviction, unlike doubt which causes the mind to become weak through uncertainty. In some cases this strength of wrong-view can even bring about the attainment of jhāna. Such is the case among the many non-Buddhist ascetics in India during the Buddha’s time. They hold some wrong-view (these views are listed in the Brahmajāla Sutta, Dīgha Nikāya Sutta 1) and based on it they practice meditation taking as their object something connected with their view. Due to the strong conviction in this view the mind becomes resolved on the object. It is able to hold on to the object firmly. As a result the jhāna factors become developed and they attain jhāna. When they are in jhāna the mind is wholesome. There is no thought about the wrong view when the mind is in jhāna because the mind is totally absorbed into the object of jhāna without any thought. This is a case of the unwholesome serving as a condition for the wholesome. But once they come out of the jhāna they are likely to misinterpret the experience of jhāna due to their wrong-view. They may, for example, say that they have experience unification with the universal consciousness which is infinite or something like that.

Because wrong-view can serve as a condition for jhāna it is not listed as a hindrance to the practice of meditation. But actually if one becomes dead set on the wrong-view and the mind refuses to see things otherwise then it can become a hindrance to vipassanā wisdom. In order for vipassanā wisdom to arise one need to see the mental and physical phenomena as they really are. This requires a certain degree of openness in the mind to investigate them clearly as they really are without the interference of any preconceived notion and thought. Wrong-view that is firmly held on to closes the mind and prevents this openness. Therefore it is important when we practice vipassanā meditation to have room for some openness to see things as they really are. Only if one has attained at least the first stage of enlightenment and become a sotāpanna or stream-enterer can one be wholly assured of the correctness of one’s view. For all others a degree of openness guided by basic right view of the Dhamma that is acquired, either through scriptural learning of authentic Texts under the guidance of a learned teacher, or through the guidance of an experienced, learned and reliable meditation teacher, is necessary.

This basic right view is very important and necessary for the practice on the path to liberation from suffering. The noble eightfold path begins with right view. The main reason why the Buddhas appear in the world is to guide beings onto this basic right view. This is the purpose of their teaching of Dhamma. Unless they are destined for Pacceka-Buddhahood, beings are unable to acquire this basic right-view on their own. They need the help of the Buddhas that appear in the world from time to time to do this. Were they able to acquire this right-view on their own there would be no need for the Buddhas to appear in the world to teach and guide beings. This basic right view is necessary because without it one do not have the right direction on the path to the cessation of suffering. Without it one do not know how to practice correctly in order to arouse the wisdom of vipassanā right-view which leads to the attainment of supramundane right view that liberate one from suffering. And it is only when a Buddha has appeared in the world and his teaching can be heard that such a liberating view is possible. But now that the Buddha had passed away this basic right view is only accessible through his recorded teaching and also through those learned elders and teachers who had thoroughly studied and practiced the contents of these recorded Texts.

So although it is important, as mentioned above, to maintain a degree of openness in the mind during the practice of vipassanā meditation, this openness should be guided by this basic right view acquired through the Buddha’s teaching. Otherwise there is the danger that one can become too open and begin to speculate freely and indiscriminately and stray away from the right path that the Buddha intended. Such speculations are usually based on one’s own preconceived notion of how things should be, which is usually based on one’s likes and dislikes, which is in turn usually based on one’s mental-defilements. Speculation also involves thinking and so when one begin to speculate one can be sure that one has veered away from the path of vipassanā which does not involve thinking but only direct observation of the mental and physical phenomena. So one have to be very careful.

Of course during the time when one is actually practicing vipassanā, although we say that the openness should be guided by basic right view, it does not mean that one deliberately think about it or compare one’s experience to the theory of the Dhamma which one has learnt. Rather the theory, right theory that is, that has been acquired and assimilated into one’s thought system is temporary put aside but remains in the background of the mind serving as some kind of build in but invisible and unnoticeable guiding system, guiding the mind when necessary so that it do not go too far off the right track.

Discussing one’s meditation experience (i.e. interview) with a learned and experienced teacher also helps keep one on track. The balancing of wisdom and faith can come in helpful here as well. Faith steers the mind away from wrong conviction and establishes it in right conviction as well as right view. Once these two are established they prevent the mind from becoming too open and speculative under the pretext of developing wisdom. This ensures that the mind stays right on track instead of being side tracked. The right conviction aroused through faith also causes the mind to become resolved on the meditation object, thus aiding the mind in the development of mindfulness and concentration. Wisdom prevents the mind from gullibility due to indiscriminate faith. Wisdom also ensures that faith do not become too resolved on the object, clinging on to it blindly without investigating its nature. You find this in yogis who becomes obsessed with the object (rising-falling of abdomen, in-out breathe, etc.) instead of meditating on the nature of the object. Sometimes when after meditating for sometime in this way and they do not see any progress in their practice they blame it on the object (which is usually associated with the method of practice) instead of looking at how they are practicing.

The way wisdom investigates the object as it really is always ensures that there is degree of openness in the mind to the way things are. Thus wisdom prevents the mind from becoming closed, rigid, and inaccessible to the truth of the realities that are unfolding right before one’s own eyes. By balancing faith and wisdom one ensures that the mind stays right on track, steering clear of extreme and indiscriminate open-mindedness on the one hand and extreme and unyielding close-mindedness on the other.

So as we can see, doubt and wrong-view are not the same. By nature they are very different from one another. With doubt the mind is indecisive, wavering, confused and weak. With wrong view the mind is firm, strong, and decisive. Wrong-view misapprehends the truth and is convinced about this distorted truth. Doubt on the other hand is unsure which is the truth. Wrong-view is generally not a hindrance to meditation unless it is very strongly held on to, in which case it may hinder vipassanā wisdom. Doubt is always a hindrance to meditation.

Wrong-view is always associated with attachment (lobha). Doubt is never associated with attachment. In the mind associated with wrong-view, delusion (moha) distorts reality. Then out of this distorted reality wrong-view is formed and attachment causes the mind to become attached to this view. In this kind of mind wrong-view and attachment is very prominent whereas delusion, even though it is present, is not so prominent. In the mind associated with doubt, however, delusion is very prominent. It conceals the true nature of the object causing the object to become unclear. This gives rise to doubt and confusion about the nature of the object. As the mind is in doubt, confused and perplexed there can be no attachment to the object as in the case of wrong-view.

The antidote for wrong-view is right-view which is essentially wisdom or seeing the object clearly as it really is without any distortion. The antidote for doubt, according to the commentary, is sustained-application (vicāra) which simply means holding or sustaining the mind continuously on the object until the mind develops certainty about the object. Because the nature of doubt and wrong-view is so different, according to Abhidhamma teaching, they do not arise together in the same consciousness. They never associate with one another. Where there is wrong-view there is no doubt, and vice-versa, when there is doubt there is no wrong-view.