Should we be confident?
What is confidence? What does ‘should’ mean?

And then there is the illusion of confidence, living in a world of ‘shoulds’…

Confidence: something we feel certain about.
Should: correct, an expected state, suggestion, probability, acceptance, hope.

There are many aspect to this, but the final conclusion comes from Garba Dorje statement:

‘Three words that strike the vital point’:
“Recognise your own nature,
decide on one point and
gain confidence in liberation.”

It all comes down to recognition.

However, we still have to deal with over-confidence (over positive, and not in keeping with one’s actual abilities) and with the feeling of guilt about what we ‘should’ be doing. Confidence and what we should be doing, are connected and this connection is founded in recognition.

When we have something specific to do, we should be accurate with it – be correct. Then we will gain confidence arising from ability: the more we learn, the lower we assess our abilities because we recognise that there is more to learn.

When we are not specific about what to do, there are no shoulds – we may chose to do it, or not. It is only when we recognise the significance of what we want to do that we should engage correctly and thereby gain confidence. For example, we don’t have to meditate or do yidam practice, but if we recognise there is a purpose for those practices, we should then do them properly…and thereby gain confidence.

Others can suggest that we do something – that we should do something – but it is up to us to recognise whether that thing is actually worth doing. If so, we should then do it properly, whether it’s changing our mindset or changing a tyre on the car!

A problem arises with group mentality and conforming.
A group can be useful as it may help generate positive energy and give a sense of direction and support. But we mustn’t exchange our initial inspiration to recognise truth for the comforting security of being part of a group. Groups can produce a false confidence, a sort of dogma of rules that we should do. But these have nothing to do with recognising the truth, and knowingness can be missed.

This false confidence is full of projections and over-expression. It is like a lack of confidence posing as confidence, projecting all the right words but without compassion. True confidence feels and tastes the situation: it may not look confident, because it is not fixating – just tasting.

It is because of this tasting and reviewing of our reactions that we can recognise our true nature, decide on that one point, and gain confidence that liberation is possible.

As grandma use to say,
“Empty vessels make the most noise”
Empty here means a lack of confidence.

When we are truly empty
we make no noise at all
as we rest in confidence.
We have arrived so there is nothing we should do.