I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family, so we spoke a lot about faith, and what would happen if we allowed our faith to waver.  At that time, faith for me meant placing my trust in a supernatural power that I could neither see or feel. 

The idea was that if I had enough faith in this supernatural power, then I could use petitionary prayer as a means of having my desires (good grades, better health, more friends, etc.) fulfilled.

However, as I got older I was introduced to a different kind of faith via my studies in science and technology.  This faith was not in a supernatural force.  Rather it was faith in a method, the scientific method, and our ability to understand the world around us if we followed it.  My teachers taught me that if I followed the scientific method closely, was careful in my lab measurements, and honest in my reading of the data, then the truth would be revealed.

In Buddhism, I've found a faith that is a blending of these two ideals.  First, we are taught to have faith in the method that was taught by Buddha to the ascetics in Deer Park.  If we wish to be freed from suffering, we must trust that by earnestly studying the three seals of the law, the four noble truths, and the eight fold path, we will be able to achieve our goal; liberation from suffering.

Second, Mahayana Buddhism instructs us to have faith in our own basic goodness (e.g. Buddhanature or Dharmakaya) which we can neither see or feel.  We must trust that the seed of enlightenment exists within us even in darker moments when we don't feel good or enlightened.  Additionally, the practice requires us to trust that this same enlightenment-seed exists in all sentient beings without exception. 

However, just as a farmer must cultivate his seeds with good soil and plenty of water in order for them to grow, we must cultivate our own basic goodness through meditation and study in order for it to be fully realized

In this way, the two types of Buddhist faith feed off of each other.  We are given the desire to continue in our spiritual inquiry by the belief in our enlightened nature.  And we are given the practical means to make that inquiry via faith in the teachings that Buddha gave us 2,600 years ago.

That being said, faith without effort is dead.  That's why Shojin or 'ceaseless effort' is one of the 6 paramitas.  Like a gymnast who wakes each morning at 5 am to train for the Olympics, we must approach practice with a religious spirit in order to realize enlightenment. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that we lose our common sense or accept the dharma unquestioningly. After all, Buddha did tell us to be lamps unto ourselves. Rather, practicing with a religious spirit means that we center the dharma in our lives, and we prioritize our training in the same way that we prioritize our job or school work.  We have to be committed.

By having strong faith in both the dharma and ourselves we provide fuel for our spiritual inquiry.  And by maintaining a strong dedication to our practice we build a vehicle that moves us along the path.  In the end, we have everything that's needed in order to realize enlightenment.  We just have to put in the work.

Namu Amida Butsu

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Buddhist Faith: A Stepping Stone to Enlightenment