faith
Faith is one of the Eleven
Wholesome Dharmas of the One Hundred Dharmas (see entry for
latter); it is also one of the Five Faculties (faith, vigor,
mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom).
"Faith is necessary in whatever it is one does. One needs to have a
sense of belief, an attitude of faith. First, one needs to have
faith in oneself. What kind of faith? One needs to have faith that
one certainly can become a Buddha. One has to believe that there is
no difference between the Buddha and oneself. Yet that lack of
difference is in one's Buddha-nature. Cultivation is still required
in order to actually become a Buddha. If one cultivates, one will
become a Buddha. In order to do so, one must have an initial belief
in this principle.
"Second, not only is it necessary to believe that one can become a
Buddha oneself, but also to believe that all people can become
Buddhas. Moreover, not only can all people become Buddhas, one
should believe that all living beings have the Buddha-nature and
are capable of becoming Buddhas. If one has that kind of faith,
then one should begin by following the rules oneself. To follow the
rules means to hold the moral precepts. First one holds the
precepts, and then one can become a Buddha. One does it oneself and
also encourages others to do so as well.
"Faith must be solid, like a rock, firm and sturdy. Faith shouldn't
be like a pile of ashes which seems to have some substance to it
but which crumbles at the slightest disturbance. Don't be too soft.
One's faith must be strong and solid." (HD 44 45)
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH
"Faith is the foundation of cultivation of the Way and the mother
of merit and virtue, because it is capable of nourishing wholesome
roots. The Buddhadharma is like a vast sea; only by faith can it be
entered. Therefore, the single word 'faith' is the essence of
escape from birth and death and is the wonderful means for
returning to the source. It is a precious raft on the stream of
affliction, a torch in the dark cave of ignorance, and a guide who
leads us out of the path of confusion. It is a compass for those
floundering in the waves on the sea of suffering, and a sagely
teacher for those in the Three Paths (Arhat, Pratyekabuddha, and
Bodhisattva) and Eight Difficulties ( ). It is the origin of
awakening for the Four Kinds of Creatures born (from wombs, eggs,
moisture, and transformation) within the Six Paths (see entry).
Faith cannot be ignored. An author of ancient times said, 'If a man
has no faith, I do not know what can be made of him.'
"Once two bhikshus were travelling to see Shakyamuni Buddha, the
World-Honored One. As they travelled they became extremely thirsty
but could not find any water. As they walked they happened upon a
human skull containing water in which some small bugs were
swimming, enjoying themselves tremendously. One of the bhikshus
picked up the water and offered some to his companion. The
companion replied, 'This water contains bugs, and the moral
precepts do not permit drinking such water. I would rather die of
thirst than to violate the precepts in order to stay alive.' After
this incident he died of thirst.
"When the bhikshu who had drunk the water reached the place where
the Buddha was residing, he bowed and said to the Lord, 'Your
disciple was travelling in the company of another bhikshu who
perished of thirst on the road. I hope the Buddha will be
compassionate and rescue him.'
"The Buddha said to the bhikshu who had drunk the water, 'Because
he stringently maintained the moral precepts and was so firm in his
faith that he would not violate them even in the face of death, he
received the awesome power of the Buddhas and arrived here before
you. He has already seen the Buddha and heard the Dharma before
you. He is a bhikshu who has true faith in the precepts." (WM
53-54; also S42 75-76)
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/BuddhistDict/BDF.html
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