Breaking Free: Escaping the Belief Bubbles and Frameworks
The first time I truly sensed the constraints of a framework was when we decided to leave behind nearly a decade of Buddhist practices. It wasn't that I never sensed the restraints of the doctrines, but I thought it was the price to pay to be "enlightened." Only after leaving those practices did I feel immense relief. My heart literally felt lighter after shedding off the burdens. I could breathe freely without rules and dogmas imposed on me.
I picked up the Bible during college and later joined various spiritual communities. I never regretted the hours devoted to studying the meaning behind each system as I learned to see things from different perspectives. Christianity initially drew me in with its emphasis on love and compassion. I discovered that religion could be joyous and forgiving, unlike Buddhism's heavy focus on the bitterness of karma and suffering.
Yet, I later learned the contradictions within each religious system and realized that these were just another set of beliefs. Beliefs are chosen perhaps because perhaps they make life easier and more organized, with guidelines to follow instead of wandering around and getting lost, much like cultural and social norms or moral codes to keep everyone in check.
Perhaps we’re looking for salvation in this wrench world, to find the God or deities, or to find relief or the meaning of life; to learn to live in harmony with love, compassion, and forgiveness. However, more often than not, beliefs are projections of what we’re hoping for, yet they do not necessarily reflect objective truth.
Beliefs often depend on external authority to justify their validity and demand faith without questioning. Whether it's God, a deity, or a spiritual leader, questioning authority is forbidden because, according to them, without faith, one will be thrown into an abyss of eternal fire.
Yet, beliefs are beyond religions. We dwell in our belief bubbles, adhering to what we were taught or choose to believe. Religion is a belief, and so is atheism. They are self-imposed frameworks of constraints, including cultural norms, social values, upbringing, personal beliefs, brain constructs, thinking patterns, genetics, and biological mechanisms—all are frameworks that influence, if not dictate, our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors.
Beliefs and frameworks direct us unconsciously, and we are often unaware of their existence unless juxtaposed with others: comparing different religious beliefs, childhood upbringings, Western vs. Eastern, etc. Frameworks are like wearing tinted glasses—everything we see is tinted with colors of beliefs and frameworks. As a result, we lose the ability to see things in their true nature. We are taught to see a rainbow in seven colors, yet it is a spectrum of infinite colors. Thus, healing and awakening are breaking free from self-imposing frameworks.