FAITH AND WISDOM -- 【EDITORIAL】

“Faith becomes superstition when it parts from reason, and even more so when it goes against reason. But when it is combined with reason, it prevents reason from remaining just an intellectual game.”

- Andre Migot in his book Le Bouddha (The Buddha)

The Buddha compared unquestioning faith to a blind giant who meets up with a very sharp-eyed cripple, called wisdom.

The blind giant, called faith, says to the sharp-eyed cripple, “I am very strong, but I can’t see; you are very weak, but you have sharp eyes. Come and ride on my shoulders. Together we will go far.”

The Buddha never supported blind faith, but a balance between heart and mind, between wisdom and faith. The two together will go far.

The saying that blind faith can move mountains unfortunately omits the fact that, being blind, faith doesn’t know which mountain needs moving.

That’s where wisdom is essential, which means that a thorough understanding of the teaching is crucial.

- Ayya Khema, When the Iron Eagle Flies

In The Way To Buddhahood, Master Yin-shun says:

“One who has the right faith and has taken refuge in the 3 Treasures Should cultivate right views.”

What are right faith and right view?

Right View:

Just as religions and religious people can heal and be healed, they can also kill or be killed in the name of faith.

So it has been through history.

Many people have been abused, exploited or victimised in the name of faith.

If religious belief can be so potentially dangerous, we must then seriously cultivate the Right View to safeguard ourselves from adhering to faith with blindness.

In The Kalama Sutta, the Buddha gave the Kalamas and us, the right views to cultivate right faith.

“When you know for yourselves: these things are immoral, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise, these things when performed and undertaken, conduce to ruin and sorrow --- then reject them.

“When you know for yourselves: these things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the wise, these things when performed and undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness --- then live and act accordingly.

The Buddha is not against faith, he instead exhorts us to guard and filter all things that our six sense organs – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, are receiving:

To doubt, question, investigate, contemplate, experience, instead of simply accepting anything that’s thrown to us

To test them to see if they are beneficial for one and all others

Faith is not an end in itself though it is essentially a stepping stone

It is to be coupled with wisdom to strengthen our confidence in the Dharma practice

As one realises more of the truth, one becomes more determined to be nearer to the goal of enlightenment