Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Namaste All, What is faith? A simple question surely. Faith is like faith you know, you believe in something you have faith in it, you trust it. . What's the difference between faith and a creed or a set of articles that you publicly adhere to which create a community? Suppose what binds you together is common acceptation of a scripture. You believe that this is the truth. However what can arise is "multiple and possibly indeterminate interpretations of what the writer of a text is saying"(Simon Blackburn/Truth). This may lead to schism and the feeling that there is no truth and that therefore faith is a fatuous attempt to find certainty in a haphazard cosmos. Better light a penny candle than curse the dark. There may be another way in which faith can live with uncertainty. Think of the faithful as a group with a set of common concerns and a broad agreement on certain symbols and rituals. They may have a common teacher with whom they feel they have established an inner relationship with. They believe that this person is guiding them through their lives and speaking to them mysteriously via incidents in their lives. In a strange way those who are inimical to them may give the best upadesha. Mostly though they pick their way along carefully, treating absolute certainty as a mirage. Best Wishes, Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Namaste dear Michaelji: I don't want start a new debate on the definition of `faith,' but do want to provide the following insights from how it is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary. Faith: 1.Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, an idea, or a thing. 2.Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence 3.Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters. 4.The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will. 5.The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith, Hindu faith, Christian faith, etc., 6. A set of principles or beliefs. Belief is defined as: 1. The mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another. 2. Mental acceptance of and conviction in the truth, actuality, or validity of something. 3. Something believed or accepted as true, especially a particular tenet or a body of tenets accepted by a group of persons. The dictionary states that in most situations faith or belief will imply mental acceptance of the truth, actuality, or validity of something. The dictionary also provides detailed explanations for `opinion' under various circumstances: 1. A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: "The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion" (Elizabeth Drew). 2. A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert: a medical opinion. 3. A judgment or an estimation of the merit of a person or thing: has a low opinion of braggarts. 4. The prevailing view: public opinion. 5. Law. A formal statement by a court or other adjudicative body of the legal reasons and principles for the conclusions of the court. The acceptance or rejection of any point of view depends on how much we respect the `opinion' of the person who makes those points. When the `opinion' substantiates with supportive evidence from authoritative sources, it gets accepted more often and by more people. The mental acceptance of an opinion by any author depends on the level of confidence that we place on author's credentials and our faith on the evidence provided. This may explain why there is no universal acceptance of any metaphysical assertion on the unknown "Truth." Please note that this is just my `opinion' about `faith, belief and opinion' and consequently, it may not be accepted by all. Everyone of us in the list should be aware that `opinion' is subject to change and we have seen that happening in legal decisions made in the courts. During our discussions, we only have the `right' to offer an `opinion' and we shouldn't feel disappointed when it is not accepted! I am also of the opinion that we should develop the `spirit' of karma yoga while expressing our opinions. Warmest regards, Ram chandran advaitin, ombhurbhuva <ombhurbhuva@e...> wrote: > > Namaste All, > What is faith? A simple question surely. Faith > is like faith you know, you believe in something > you have faith in it, you trust it. . What's the > difference between faith and a creed or a > set of articles that you publicly adhere to > which create a community? Suppose what > binds you together is common acceptation of a > scripture. You believe that this is the truth. > However what can arise is "multiple and > possibly indeterminate interpretations of what > the writer of a text is saying"(Simon Blackburn/Truth). > This may lead to schism and the feeling > that there is no truth and that therefore > faith is a fatuous attempt to find certainty > in a haphazard cosmos. Better light a > penny candle than curse the dark. > > There may be another way in which faith can > live with uncertainty. Think of the faithful > as a group with a set of common concerns > and a broad agreement on certain > symbols and rituals. They may have a > common teacher with whom they feel they > have established an inner relationship with. > They believe that this person is guiding them > through their lives and speaking to them > mysteriously via incidents in their lives. > In a strange way those who are inimical to > them may give the best upadesha. Mostly > though they pick their way along carefully, > treating absolute certainty as a mirage. > > Best Wishes, > Michael. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Dear Ombhurbhuva "What is faith? A simple question surely. Faith is like faith you know, you believe in something you have faith in it, you trust it." There are some fundamental differences between "faith" as envisaged by Abrahamic traditions and "Shradha" (closesest possible equivalent) in Indic traditions. Shradha means faith born of understanding. Faith could be born out of many other reasons as well e.g. expectation of irrational gains, greed, ignorance etc. So when some one say "Shradha" in "Bhagwana" or "Guru" means faith, born out, in them after knowing (atleast partially) what they are through our intellect (Buddhi). For example some one may develop "Shradha" in Bhagwan Raman Maharshi after reading/listening his sayings and knwoing his true nature. Unless their is some element of "Aatma Kalyana" involved mere faith doesn't amount to Shradha. Sanskrit word for other kinds of faith is "Preeti". In short Abrahamic traditions are faith("preeti" type not "shradha" type) oriented while Indic traditions are Prajna or wisdom oriented. The former deal with intensifies of feelings, the latter aim at awakening the mind. In Indic traditions, Shradha (faith) is that which lies hidden in the recession of the heart; so, faith means faith in the hidden truths of the soul, faith in the unrealised possibilities of the mind. Regards Chandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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