Being Nobody, Going Nowhere
The last of our enemies is skeptical doubt. The Buddha compared it to traveling in the desert without provisions and without a map, thereby going around in circles, being overrun by bandits, and killed.
Self-confidence has many other facets. It’s not aggressive but is a feeling of certainty that we can rely on ourselves completely. That reliance only becomes possible when we have our emotions under control. We cannot be sure of ourselves when our emotions are untamed.
There is a great deal of difference between what we do intentionally and what we do unintentionally. If we accidentally step on an ant and kill it, we probably didn’t see it. It may be a lack of mindfulness, but it’s not the kamma of killing.