Gambit
Well-Known Member
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Faith in Buddhism
- Thread starter Gambit
- Start date
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I didn't know what is taken of the Buddha and that of his teachings provisionally is equated as being the same as that of faith.
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Now you do.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Too bad. It was interesting while it lasted.
Living4Eden
Member
see, the buddha fell short though in my opinion… he exposed the suffering, conquered it, reached enlightenment, was ordained in the here after..BUT… he still did not manage to make mass social change, neither did moses, neither did jesus, neither did muhamad,. ….. who is going to step up to the plate? and yes, i could step back, and meditate, and not focus on this reality and its illusions, but a part of me cares too damn much
Thanks. Sraddha is reasonable, interesting and constructive, from what I gather of the meaning of the word.
In fact, it does remind me of what I find appealing in the Sikh practice of Langar.
It is most unfortunate that some people insist on understanding "faith" automatically as "belief in the supernatural", so such clarifications are helpful.
In fact, I'm a bit surprised that you are the one pointing that out.
Zulk-Dharma
Member
Majority of Buddhists, especially Mahayana, have faith - Mahayana is really strong on faith that it's no different from Judaic or Christian eschatology and theology, at least in principle.
Buddha was said to be theistic and rebirth in different forms is a form of mystic faith, he also made eschatological prophesies (or rather predictions) that a Messianic figure will return in the future, he believed in a demon named Mara, there are much faith in Buddhism, but Buddha's Dharma was non-theistic, in the sense it doesn't require theology.
There are also many different tales about Buddha making miracles, gods and such.
Buddha was said to be theistic and rebirth in different forms is a form of mystic faith, he also made eschatological prophesies (or rather predictions) that a Messianic figure will return in the future, he believed in a demon named Mara, there are much faith in Buddhism, but Buddha's Dharma was non-theistic, in the sense it doesn't require theology.
There are also many different tales about Buddha making miracles, gods and such.
Politesse
Amor Vincit Omnia
Thank god someone thought to look up Buddhism on Wikipedia, all these Buddhists were getting so confused as to the nature of their practice until an open-source encyclopedia cleared things up.
On a more serious note, Sradda shares some aspects with the Enlightenment-style definition of faith, and not others. The term doesn't translate easy into English - it is also the name of a Hindu funeral ritual - much less Western philosophy. You can read a relevant passage in the Bhagavad Gita here: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17: The Divisions of Faith. Note that "good faith" is demonstrated in right practice. Faith which comes from passion or imagination is derided.
On a more serious note, Sradda shares some aspects with the Enlightenment-style definition of faith, and not others. The term doesn't translate easy into English - it is also the name of a Hindu funeral ritual - much less Western philosophy. You can read a relevant passage in the Bhagavad Gita here: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17: The Divisions of Faith. Note that "good faith" is demonstrated in right practice. Faith which comes from passion or imagination is derided.
Gambit
Well-Known Member
What exactly does this have to do with the subject matter of this thread?
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Why?
Gambit
Well-Known Member
The term "faith" appears to be a good translation of the Sanskrit "sraddha".
Merriam-Webster defines "faith" as "strong belief or trust in someone or something."
Wikipedia defines "faith in Buddhism" (or sraddha) as "an initial acceptance of the Buddha's teaching prior to realising its truth for oneself. It is an important constituent element of all traditions of Buddhism, although the kind and nature of faith changes in the different schools. Other translations of saddhā/śraddhā include confidence and trust.[1] "
Gambit
Well-Known Member
It would appear that you object to the idea that faith plays a part in Buddhism.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I don't have faith in faith, nor am certain with certainty.
Eddy.
Eddy.
MonkeyFire
Well-Known Member
I thought one want to let's go of faith to recollect with knowledge?
Gambit
Well-Known Member
This thread is about what part faith plays in Buddhism, not about what part faith plays in your personal life.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I'll leave Buddhism at it then. Sorry for the intrusion. _/\_
SpentaMaynu
One God, All in all
Why not place it in the Buddhist DIR then?
Gambit
Well-Known Member
Because I placed it here - in the general religious debates forum.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
It's a better approach that way Imo.
Faith is like having luggage that you use to carry around whatever you like with the hope the zipper is closed properly, so as nothing spills out.
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If Buddhism employed faith for understanding, then I suppose it's another venue by which the matter of faith settles well with practice then blows away with the dust upon realization.
If faith remains undifferentiated by which Buddhism is practiced, at least later on as understanding deepens, it's likely you won't get trapped by those definitions when people tout faith as being the/a precursor for Buddhist practice.
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