Earlier this year, The Wife sent me a quote that one of her Instagram friends had shared:
“Faith doesn’t always take you out of the problem, Faith takes you through the problem. Faith doesn’t always take away the pain, Faith gives you the ability to handle the pain. Faith doesn’t always take you out of the storm, Faith calms you in the midst of the storm. Amen.”
Ever the editor, the first thing I wanted to do was replace those comma splices with semi-colons. But what caught by eye was how much this was not what I believe. This is not the meaning of faith in Buddhism.
The quote comes from Rick Warren, who, with his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church. Saddleback is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and located in Lake Forest, California. Given the number of times images of this quote have been passed around on social media I assume it speaks to Christians and their faith.
For me, faith opens the gate to the teachings of the Buddha. Putting our faith into practice, making it a part of our daily lives, allows us to truly face our problems. At the very, very basic level of Buddhism is the teaching of the Four Noble Truths – the truth regarding suffering, the cause of suffering, the extinction of suffering, and the path to enlightenment. By studying we deepen our understanding and in so doing strengthen our faith.
The problems, the pain and the storms of daily life, are all subsumed under our ultimate goal. My favorite explanation of this is Rev. Kenjo Igarashi’s 2015 lecture on What is Buddhism?
“[T]here is one major characteristic that distinguishes Buddhism from the other major religions. Those who embrace Buddhism can also become a Buddha. In Christianity, Judaism and Islam, believers are encouraged to learn the teachings of the founder and to devote themselves to a unique, absolute deity. Nonetheless, these followers cannot become a deity. However, in Buddhism, anyone is said to have the potential to become the Buddha if they awaken to the truth behind the universe and humans beings, which can be understood through studying the teachings of the Buddha.
“Ultimately, Buddhism is everyone’s attempt to become a Buddha.”
And when the problems, the pain and the storm threaten to overwhelm us, we have Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.
“A singing bird in a cage attracts uncaged birds, and the sight of these uncaged birds will make the caged bird want to be free. Likewise, the chanting of Odaimoku will bring out the Buddha-nature within ourselves. The Buddha-nature of Bonten [the God Brahman] and Taishaku [the God Sakra Devanam Indra] will be summoned by the chanting and will protect the chanter. The Buddha-nature of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will be pleased to be summoned. For attaining Buddhahood quickly, one must lay down the banner of arrogance, cast away the club of prejudice, and chant Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.”
Hokke Shoshin Jobutsu Sho, Writings of Nichiren Shonin
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