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The Place of Faith in Buddhist Practice Cont'd
Faith in the triple Gem
The first and foremost point of faith has to do
with faith in the Triple Gem, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. What does faith in the Buddha
mean?
The Buddha, Gautama Buddha, was a person like
you and me, who embraced what it meant to be fully human and lived from a foundation of
wisdom. This means that we too, can undergo a deep transformation in our beings,
such that we accept and embrace the human condition to the degree that we can live lightly
on the earth. Each step we take can leave footprints of wisdom, loving-kindness, harmony,
not harm.
The seed of enlightenment is within each one of
us, ready to be cultivated nurtured and brought into full bloom. A chorus of a song
written by David Pomeranz springs to mind as celebrating this fact.
"It's in every one of us
To be wise
Find your heart.
Open up both your eyes
We can all know everything.
Without understanding why
It's in every one of us
Bye and bye"
We have the potential for full awakening to our
human condition, to the nature of life and the world. This is not something to be
believed, an idea, separate from us, springing from our brain, rather it is a reality to
be experienced and lived. This is the type of faith Buddhism asks of us: to realize what
is so and live from that realization in our everyday lives. This brings us to the
Dharma.
Dharma means universal truths, universal laws.
There are functioning laws that govern how the universe works. There are truths
which are universal about how life works (we're born, we live, we die) and the nature of
human nature.
Each and every one of us can have a direct
relationship and full understanding of these universal truths. The Buddha spoke of
the Four Noble Truths as one example of Universal Truth. Everyone seeks happiness.
Everyone is liable to suffering, illness, decay and death. Everyone is looking for a way
out of suffering, for ultimate happiness. Everyone seeks long lasting happiness. Generally
we look outside of ourselves and for temporal solutions but the Buddha gave us a pathway
to finding and creating lasting happiness.
There is the law of cause and effect, the law
of karma.
Is it true?
The laws of science say: For every action there
is an equal and opposite reaction.
Christianity says: As you reap so shall ye
sow.
Universal truth shows up the same in various
disciplines, science, religion, and spiritual traditions. That's what makes
universal truths universal!
And what of the Sangha? Traditionally
speaking the sangha was a community of enlightened human beings. For us, it has come
to mean a community of those who walk, or at least attempt to walk, the pathway laid out
by the Buddha.
Faith in the Sangha means that there are those
with wisdom, Buddhist or not, whose lives are examples of truth in action, wisdom in
action. Such people inspire us.
They show us the possibility of remaining true
to our unfolding, staying close to our heart of hearts, and living the truth of our beings
with courage.
We are not alone. This is another meaning
of Sangha.
Yes, each and every one of us, must come to our
own awakening, understanding, must take responsibility for our choices, decisions,
responses. No one can do any of that for us. However we do so in community. We
do so in relation to one another and all sentient beings. Our lives do not occur in
a vacuum.
Faith in the present
Along with faith in the triple Gem, there is
faith in the present and faith in the practice. Faith in mindfulness. Faith in the
cultivation of awareness.
I have faith that if I stay present to
situations in my life, aware of my emotions, thoughts, knee jerk reactions, that I am in a
much better position to respond, not react. Staying present I am better able to make
choices and decisions which serve reducing, not increasing suffering. There is no
doubt in my mind about that.
Of course I am not always able to make those
choices, to act from wisdom. Conditioning, fear, anxiety, easily overrides volition at
times.
However, the more awareness I bring to any
situation, of my habitual, conditioned ways of responding, the more I guarantee myself
increased ability of choosing wisely. If not grace, then volition is required.
Application of awareness through one's mind, speech and body is essential.
Buddhist faith comes not from a belief in
anything external, rather from direct realization. The Buddha said, "A monk who has
understanding, establishes his faith in accordance with that understanding".
Faith is based in confidence,
confidence in having experienced
what we know to be true.
May all beings be happy!
May all beings come to full liberation.
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