What is faith? A perplexing question indeed. Dogma is the tinder. Religious faith is the spark that ignites the burning house. Can faith also be the fire that fights fire?
With faith, many synonyms leap to mind. As a mere lad being raised in the Christian religion, faith implied belief in the one true God and Jesus, who died for our sins. We were taught we must have faith in Bible as the word of God. As an SGI Buddhist, faith in Gohonzon was taught as the way to overcome all obstacles and attain enlightenment in this lifetime. What I once regarded as doubt-free faith was a mirage, an illusion of desire for order, control, and understanding the mundane and cosmic reality. Once that illusion was confirmed, the actual path to realization came into focus, and I quickly arrived at the oasis of understanding.
Buddha stated in the Lotus Sutra that one could only enter Buddhahood through faith. Nichiren exhorted his followers to have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is, after all, an apocryphal text. What then, is faith?
One example of the type of faith I had and see in others is mistaking the facets or cuts of a gem for the stone itself. It has been my observation, that people tend to latch on to text or mythology, and believe in it with their whole heart, even when convincing evidence contradicts their belief. Is this doubt-free faith or delusion? Is this kind of faith one of emotion or mind, or both? We see evidence of this kind of faith rampant in the U.S. as evangelicals try to promote the teaching of intelligent design into public school classrooms as an alternative to evolution. We see in the Mid East and elsewhere faith in the literal interpretation of the Koran, thus the rise of extremist behavior.
When I was taught the basics of SGI Buddhism, faith was explained in a variety of ways. Faith was expectation. Faith was the action of chanting. Faith was doubt-free belief in the power of the Gohonzon. As the years, then decades rolled by, my definition of faith became multifaceted like a cut gem. Faith was intention, determination, conviction, perseverance, trust, and action. In retrospect, it is now obvious that my faith was narrow, restricted, exclusive, and inflexible. How could that be? I did gongyo twice daily, chanted abundant daimoku, engaged in all kinds of activities, studied the gosho, the Lotus Sutra, and especially president Ikeda’s guidance. Moreover, I believed with all my heart the truth of the doctrine I had embraced – without question or pause – and I exhausted my body and mind in the accomplishment of our mission to attain kosen-rufu. We were taught to have faith like flowing water versus faith like fire that rises up with a mighty flame, and then fades out into dying embers. No, we were taught to have faith like boiling water that vigorously roils in the pot until it finally evaporates into steam and disappears into the air. How could someone like me have a delusional faith? That question is very complex, but perhaps the most simple, yet difficult answer is that I allowed my critical thinking skills to atrophy. I stopped asking the big questions that required real answers. When answers to big questions illicit even more mythos and dogma as an explanation, you have arrived at a critical point in understanding faith. In my agony over faith, I discovered a truth that resonated with my spirit as a Buddhist, a writer, a teacher, and human being. Let me explain.
All the facets that distinguish the gem of faith are only partial descriptions. When a person attaches to a particular teaching, they grip it tightly to the exclusion of the contrary or other. Some people are open to multiple teachings and are in a sense rootless, unable to muster strength from any of their beliefs. It is my contention that the “faith” required in the Lotus Sutra defies words or perfect description because it is empty, free of outflows, well gone, and free of prejudice or favor.
In the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra Shakyamuni states:
“Why do I do this? The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is. There is no ebb and flow of birth and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction. It is neither substantial nor empty, neither consistent nor diverse. Nor is it what those who dwell in the threefold world perceive it to be. All such things the Thus Come One sees clearly and without error.” Page 226 LS, Burton Watson.
It can be effectively argued here that Shakyamuni is speaking of the condition of Buddha that exists in all phenomena or that this passage indicates that “Buddha is life.” In fact, this vital passage could be interpreted in many ways. To my way of reckoning, this passage taught me that faith is openness – to the true entity of life in all its manifestations without attachment or favor, while making distinctions. By openness, I imply that the knowledge of faith kept secret in the Lotus Sutra can be explained most effectively by negation. Faith is not restrictive, not assertive, not clinging, not substantial nor empty, nor non-empty. Faith transcends all opposites or duality.
One of the most defining moments of my Buddhist experience was about a year after I beat cancer. In that year I had chanted millions of daimoku, studied extensively, and worked with great vigor to build the district where I was a member. At one meeting, they made an appointment of a new district chief. When I was not appointed, my spirit was crushed, and I became indignant. After the meeting, in a seething state, I approached our chapter chief, demanding to know why “I” wasn’t appointed. He did me the greatest service a leader could ever do – he told me the truth and it hurt. He said, “Look at how weak and shallow your faith is.” In my mind, I thought back to the many contradictory statements I had heard and read. “Being a leader is responsibility.” “You should not misconstrue the depth of faith with the level of leadership.” “Become a general of generals!” That marvelous leader who deflated my ego has my eternal gratitude. Because of his words, I now partially understood that faith and leadership were not exactly synonymous and that my own faith had been a work in progress, like the sculpter chipping away at the figure that was already in the marble. Little did I know that the faith I aspired to was identical to the feeling that I had when looking into my mother’s eyes when I was small child – my faith was already extant and perfect.
It took many more years to arrive at this stage of my life and development. For me, faith is all about openness to life and the spirit of the eternal Buddha. Once I thought faith was conviction in a single truth and now I understand that the truth is empty, unspoken, and wholly mysterious. Thanks to the Japanese senior leader who brought me back down from the rapture of overcoming cancer and the false sense of entitlement that had laid siege to my mind. And thanks to the truths embodied in the Lotus Sutra for teaching me that faith is more than just blind belief. In one of my books, as an inspiration to my readers, I mention that “if faith can move mountains, it can cure cancer.“ If that is so, and I believe it is, then even fools such as I can realize Buddhahood.
Rather than encourage you to “keep the faith,” I now encourage you to discover faith.