If I were to attempt to convince you of the smell of a wonderful perfume, you would perhaps listen, but you would still have your doubts. If I showed you pictures of the beautiful bottle that housed the perfume, and had hundreds of people testify as to the wonderful scent, you might become more convinced, but your doubt would still remain because you haven’t smelled it. You might accept the truth of the scent from me, but until your nose experiences the aroma, your truth is only a belief based upon my truth and my experience.
And yet, it is this way with all the well-meaning members of your community and their ancestors. Everyone from parents to peers to teachers to various authority figures consciously or unconsciously impart their beliefs upon you.
Simply because you have heard it, or it is a long-surviving tradition, or recorded over the centuries, or maybe even the world’s greatest teachers endorsed it, are still not reasons to accept a belief. Remember, as the Buddha instructed, do not believe something until after careful observation and analysis, when you find it agrees with reason, and it will benefit you.
How about replacing the word “belief” with the word “knowing?” When you have the direct experience of smelling the perfume, then you have a knowing. That is, you have a conscious contact and can determine your truth based upon your experience. Think about it. You know how to brush your teeth and take a shower, not because you have a belief, but because you have the experience of doing so.