Dear Friends,
In Pali, the first faculty is “saddha” – and that word can be translated many ways. One of the common translations is “faith.”
For some folks, the word “faith” is a tricky word. Sharon Salzberg talked about how people responded when she first gave talks on faith:
Painful associations with the word faith came pouring out along with stories of past experiences. Many felt that they had been forced at a young age to believe things that couldn’t be proven, and that any questioning was held in judgment. Some talked of old fears, that if they didn’t have “enough faith,” they would be condemned, maybe forevermore. As I listened to these stories, I realized that we really needed to reclaim the word faith. That was one of my motivations in writing the book: to try to help redeem the word.
“Interview with Sharon Salzberg: Faith”, Inquiring Mind, Fall 2002. Vol. 19 #1
https://www.inquiringmind.com/article/1901_15_salzberg_1-faith-an-interview-with-sharon-salzberg/
Sharon says that the Pali word saddha literally means “to place one’s heart upon,” and she says in Pali, it’s a verb, “a movement of participation.” It’s not something we have or don’t have, but something we do. In her book, Faith, Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, Sharon describes it as “the willingness to take the next step, to see the unknown as an adventure, to launch a journey.”
Sharon describes different ways faith evolves. “Bright faith” is when we get inspired by someone we meet (or read or hear). “Verified faith” arises after we have practiced for a while, and what we place our hearts upon is now rooted in our own experience. “Unshakable faith” is described by Sharon as “where we have experienced something so deeply and strongly that from that point on there is no turning back. … We know from our own experience that this is how things are; we have a more complete faith in the truth of our own vision and our perception of the truth.”
https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/faith-2/
Further material:
If you want to listen to (or read) Gil Fronsdal’s take on Saddha as Faith, his dharmette is here (15 minutes):
https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/11048
Reflection:
As you engage in practice today, can you notice some way you are putting your heart into this? Is there something (or someone) that inspires you to do the practice? Or some deeper knowing from your experience?
Practice:
Feel free to do a practice of your choice. If you are looking for a suggestion, Sharon has a breathing meditation available, if you want to try that.
Some introductory comments (3 minutes):
https://soundcloud.com/sharonsalzberg/breathing-meditation-introduction
and the meditation (14 minutes):
https://soundcloud.com/sharonsalzberg/breathing-meditation
And as Gil closed his talk:
“May faith be your companion, your friend, and your support as you go forth with the practice.”
With good wishes,
Andrea