Faith: A Buddhist Perspective

“The Buddha said, “Faith is the beginning of all good things.” No matter what we encounter in life, it is faith that enables us to try again, to trust again, to love again. Even in times of immense suffering, it is faith that enables us to relate to the presentmoment in such a way that we can go on, we can move forward, instead of becoming lost in resignationor dispair.” ~ Sharon Salzberg

“Faith is the ability to offer our heart to the truth of what is happening, to see our experience as the embodiment of life's mystery, the present expression of possibility, the conduit connecting us to a bigger reality.” ~ Sharon Salzberg

“Faith is the animation of the heart that says, `I choose life,' ” Sharon writes. “This spark of faith is ignited the moment we think, `I'm going to go for it. I'm going to try.' ”

True faith, according to Sharon, is the action of the heart opening to admit life in all its unknown potential. It does not need to constrict around a particular belief or view, because it flows from an inner sense of reality, “a homing instinct for freedom.”

“The tendency to equate faith with doctrine, and then argue terminology and concepts, distracts us from what faith is actually about. Faith is not a commodity we either have or don't have-it is an inner quality that unfolds was we learn to trust our own deepest experience.” ~ Sharon Salzberg