Faith in Nyingma Buddhist Dharma

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In the Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist Dharma teachings[1] faith's essence is to make one's being, and perfect dharma, inseparable. The etymology is the aspiration to achieve one's goal. Faith's virtues are like a fertile field, a wishing gem, a king who enforces the law, someone who holds the carefulness stronghold, a boat on a great river and an escort in a dangerous place.[2] Faith in karma causes temporary happiness in the higher realms.[3] Faith is a mental state in the Abhidharma literature's fifty-one mental states.[4][5] Perfect faith in the Buddha, his Teaching (Dharma) and the Order of his Disciples (Sangha) is comprehending these three jewels of refuge with serene joy based on conviction.[6] The Tibetan word for faith is day-pa (Tib. དད་པ་གསུམ་, dépa sum; Wyl. dad pa gsum), which might be closer in meaning to confidence, or trust.

According to Chogyam Trungpa (1939 to 1987), faith means "accepting what is there" or "accepting what has been taught" unselfishly.[7] It is feeling unshakably steady and confident as well as knowing what to cultivate and what to avoid.[8] It means dedication to and conviction in one's own intelligence, which begins to manifest with one's guru, teacher, spiritual friend; this is awakened faith, real faith based on someone else acknowledging your existence.[9] Genuine faith is without expectations, it is developed with renunciation.[10] Emptiness is based on faith, with the idea of not getting anything in return.[11] Right faith develops trust in all sentient beings who are worthy to be objects of compassion.[12] Faith in knowing the right path based on actual experience, one has a sense of being with forward vision, it also involves delightfulness and the first perception.[13][14]

In the Nyingma "Vast Expanse Heart Essence" preliminary teachings, teacher Patrul Rinpoche (1808–1887) has faith preceding refuge. It is the first step opening the refuge gateway to the three jewels of faith: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is also the first of the seven noble signs of wealth (faith with the six perfections). Having the ability to turn to the Dharma is the advantage of faith, among the five individual advantages.[15][16] Lasting and stable faith is important and there are three main kinds: vivid faith, eager faith, and confident faith.[17][18] A fourth to be aimed for is irreversible faith, when it becomes integral to the person and is refuge's cause, like a house's foundation serving the Dharma's three jewels. While lacking faith is one of the six stains[19] in which the antidotes are the kinds of faith. Faith is a jewel that comes before all else blossoming in the heart's center. It is the essence of the Three Roots outer support power and it is Dharma's root.[20][21][22]

For anyone, man or woman, who has faith in me, I, the Lotus Born, have never departed — I sleep on their threshold.

— Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava[23]

I am present in front of anyone who has faith in me, just as the moon casts its reflection, effortlessly, in any vessel filled with water.

— Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava[24]

What is faith? It is trust, longing, and clarity regarding the cause and result, truths and the Three Jewels.

— Abhidharma [25]
  1. ^ This title parallels the three jewels, with Nyingma as Sangha, Buddhist as the Buddha and Dharma as his teachings.
  2. ^ Tragpa, Zurchung Sherab (January 2, 2007). Zurchungpa's Testament (First ed.). Snow Lion. pp. 17, 19–21. ISBN 978-1-55939-264-8.
  3. ^ Pelzang, Khenpo Ngawang (June 22, 2004). A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher (1st ed.). Shambhala. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-59030-073-2.
  4. ^ According to the Compendium of Abhidharma, it belongs to the subgroup of the eleven virtuous states. In meditation practice, it is the third antidote, from among the eight antidotes, and is laziness' antidote.
  5. ^ Asanga (2001). Abhidharmasamuccaya: The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy), translated by Walpola Rahula, Sara Boin-Webb. Asian Humanities Press. ISBN 978-0-89581-941-3.
  6. ^ Asanga 2001, p. 219.
  7. ^ Trungpa, Chogyam (April 8, 2013). The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness: The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume Three. Shambhala. p. 112. ISBN 978-1590308042.
  8. ^ Trungpa 2013, p. 855.
  9. ^ Trungpa, Chogyam (November 13, 2001). The Lion's Roar: An Introduction to Tantra (Revised ed.). Shambhala. p. 3. ISBN 978-1570628955.
  10. ^ Trungpa, Chogyam (April 15, 2014). The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion: The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume Two. Shambhala. p. 67. ISBN 978-1611801057.
  11. ^ Trungpa 2014, p. 68.
  12. ^ Trungpa 2014, p. 100.
  13. ^ The five perceptions are 1. Faith, 2. Exertion / energy, 3. Recollection / Awareness, 4. One pointedness / meditation, 5. Intellect / knowledge / prajna
  14. ^ Trungpa, Chogyam (April 15, 2014a). The Path of Individual Liberation: The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume One. Shambhala. p. 136. ISBN 978-1611801040.
  15. ^ Nagarjuna lists the five advantages as: Born a human, in a central place, with all one's faculties, without a conflicting lifestyle and with faith in the dharma. In the explanation of how difficult it is to find the freedoms and advantages.
  16. ^ Rinpoche, Patrul (2011). Words of My Perfect Teacher: A Complete Translation of a Classic Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism: Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. Yale University Press. pp. 22. ISBN 978-0-300-16532-6.
  17. ^ According to Patrul Rinpoche and others, reflecting on the teachers' and Buddha's immense compassion inspires vivid faith. Eagerness to be free from suffering inspires eager faith. While confident faith in the three jewels, from the heart's depth, once their blessings and extraordinary qualities are understood. Therefore, faith has been defined as having a vivid and eager mind towards, and have confidence in, that which is authentic and true. Seeking refuge is motivated by these three kinds of faith.
  18. ^ Powers, John (2007). Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (PDF) (2nd ed.). Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-55939-835-0.
  19. ^ The six stains (Wyl. dri ma drug; Tib. དྲི་མ་དྲུག་) are conduct to avoid when listening to teachings. From Vasubandhu’s Well Explained Reasoning:
    1. Arrogance,
    2. Lack of faith,
    3. Lack of any interest,
    4. Outward distraction
    5. Inward tension,
    6. And discouragement.
    See Patrul Rinpoche, Preliminary Points to be Explained When Teaching the Buddha’s Word or the Treatises, translated by Adam Pearcey
  20. ^ Rinpoche 2011, pp. 22, 55, 171, 378.
  21. ^ Pelzang, Khenpo Ngawang (June 22, 2004). A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher. Shambhala. pp. 4, 5, 9, 35, 49, 226, 254, 255. ISBN 1-59030-073-4.
  22. ^ Pelden, Kunzang (Nov 13, 2007). The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech: A Detailed Commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva: Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group (First ed.). Shambhala. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-59030-439-6.
  23. ^ Rinpoche 2011, p. 173.
  24. ^ Khyentse Rinpoche, Dilgo (May 1, 1999). Guru Yoga: According to the Preliminary Practice of Longchen Nyingtik. Snow Lion. p. 40. ISBN 1559391219.
  25. ^ This is a Kadmapa source for the Abhidharma quote. Gampopa (January 1, 1998). The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Snow Lion. p. 65. ISBN 978-1559390927.