055-056 Regarding Faith

055 On Faith (1)

How to strengthen faith?

A disciple asked: Venerable Rinpoche, in many of your Dharma teachings and Q&A sessions, you often mention “making a firm resolution.” Regarding this resolution, it is often easily shaken and difficult to maintain, especially when facing setbacks. Therefore, how can we maintain this resolution when encountering obstacles and difficulties? Are there any other skillful methods?

Venerable Master’s answer: That’s right, making a firm resolution is difficult. If you can truly make a firm resolution, you’ve already achieved half of the goal.

A truly unwavering and firm resolution is a sign of strong faith.

How to strengthen this faith? First, think from the perspective of the cause; second, think from the perspective of the effect.

1. Thinking from the perspective of the cause:

Contemplating the impermanence of life, the suffering of samsara, karma and its consequences, etc., and truly deeply understanding these things, can help you make a firm resolution. Milarepa also said: “If someone believes in karma and its consequences as much as I do, then everyone can become Milarepa.”

2. Thinking from the perspective of the effect:

Thinking about the merits described in the Amitabha Sutra, from the perspective of benefits, is a kind of attraction that also helps in making a firm resolution.

Just like seeking medical treatment when you are sick, you believe that surgery can cure you, knowing that this is the necessary and only way. After making this firm resolution, you will accept all the pain and treatment.

Similarly, if you want to achieve liberation and attain Buddhahood, no matter what you encounter, you will spare no effort, and naturally, you can make a firm resolution.

Believing in Buddhahood and believing in karma and its consequences, the most crucial thing is to believe. The subtle aspects of karma are only known to the Buddha; we cannot understand them, we can only believe in the Buddha’s words and teachings.

Regarding the more obvious aspects of karma and its consequences, such as sowing seeds and reaping the harvest, these can be observed and understood by ordinary people without needing many reasons. Everyone can understand this principle of cause and effect.

Similarly, regarding impermanence, subtle impermanence is difficult for everyone to comprehend, but they will believe in it. Gross impermanence is visible before our eyes, and everyone believes in it. Therefore, in Padmasambhava’s stages of meditation, it is mentioned: “For ordinary people to develop renunciation, the fastest and most convenient way is to contemplate impermanence.”

Impermanence includes the impermanence of life. Think about the changes in your life from birth to the present? How much suffering or happiness have you experienced? Including various changes in one’s body, changes in people and things, etc., reflecting on these things helps us understand that life is impermanent.

Think about how long you will live, how much time is left? Ten, twenty, or thirty years? Although it’s impossible to know for sure, we can have a general idea of ​​how long we might live. Thinking this way will make us realize that life is precious and short. “While we have life, we must do meaningful things.” This conviction will arise, and with this conviction, making a firm resolution becomes easy.

056 About Faith (2)

What methods can prevent faith from wavering?

A disciple asked: Venerable Master, when a practitioner’s faith wavers, what methods can be used to prevent it from wavering?

Venerable Master Bao replied: There are many reasons for wavering faith:

1. Physical exhaustion, experiencing some suffering, diligently practicing but not seeing results, etc. This is wavering faith arising from fatigue.
2. Influence from friends, criticism from believers or non-believers, or the belief that practice is unnecessary, etc., direct or indirect influence from friends.
3. Seeing many shortcomings, including those in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, Vajra brothers and sisters, and within the Buddhist community, etc., being influenced by these shortcomings and wavering in faith.
4. No specific reason, but insufficient merit or the appearance of obstacles. When obstacles appear, they are not recognized as obstacles but as favorable conditions, leading to wavering faith.

These are the causes of wavering faith. When encountering these phenomena:

Frequently repent before the Buddha. Pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, hoping that your faith and Bodhicitta will be firm, that you can achieve enlightenment in this lifetime, or that the conditions for rebirth in the Pure Land will not be interrupted and will continue. Frequently repent and pray before the Buddha in this way. This may restore the strength of your faith.

Recognize that your faith is wavering. Recognizing it is very important.