Faith is Treasure
Once upon a time, a philosopher was swimming in a lake when all of a sudden, a current pulled him under. As he frantically struggled to stay afloat, a thought entered his mind: "I am a philosopher, so I should not panic when faced with a life and death situation." When he began to relax his body and mind, the water's buoyancy pushed him to the surface and he was able to swim back to shore under his own power. This story shows that when one has faith in oneself, one will have infinite strength. Faith and confidence are our inner treasures. If we have belief, we will have faith. If we have faith, we will have unlimited resources. The problem with today's society is that people have limited themselves by searching for resources from without. Even if there were an abundance of material supplies in our world, they would eventually run out. The energy shortage has become a crisis for many countries, which forces them to send experts into undeveloped areas in search of a solution. In actuality, we are all experts in excavating new resources, as long as we are able to look within instead of without. If we are willing to uncover our inner treasure, our lives will be enriched indefinitely by our faith. To have faith is to have unwavering confidence. To have faith is to uphold and observe the truth. To have faith is to practice the teachings of the Buddha without doubt. By having faith, our body and mind will be purified. By having faith, we will have unlimited strength. In chanting the six-syllable dharani, "Om Mani Padme Hum," mispronunciation will not alter the effect of the dharani, if the chanter is sincere and focused. This is so because of the power that is inherent in the chanter's unquestionable faith. In addition to confidence, credibility is a very important human characteristic. A person who is confident and credible will be successful in whatever he does. In order to eliminate conflict, contradiction, discrimination, and the illusion of gains and losses, one must have faith. The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "Faith is the foundation of the right path, the mother of all merit. It nourishes the root of all that is good." Without faith, one would not set foot on the path to enlightenment. By being skeptical and doubtful, one will not have a glimpse of the ultimate Truth. Faith is like a ray of light that will show us the way when we are lost in darkness. Faith is like sunshine that will brighten our day when we are feeling down and out. Faith will rekindle our hopes when we have failed miserably. The Song of Faith reminds us, "One should acquire worldly wealth with the hand of faith. One should cross the vast ocean with the boat of faith. One should grow plenty of fruit with the root of faith. One should receive unlimited treasure by entering the gate of faith. To have faith is to have hope; to have confidence is to have strength. Faith is the source of all virtues, the caregiver of wisdom. There is unlimited treasure in faith and confidence." We are our own worst enemy. When we lack self-confidence, we are doomed to failure. However, if we have faith in ourselves, we will not only be successful in our worldly endeavors, we will also acquire the worldly karma necessary for enlightenment. Therefore, in this world, there is nothing more precious and valuable than faith and confidence. ************************************************************************ DISCOVERING THE DHARMA. By : Master Hsing Yun Some People believe dharma to be profound, Something has to incomprehensible. This is not the case at all. The Dharma is something we all can understand and use. The Dharma is a guiding light which can help us to better evalute the material, Social, and spiritual aspects of life __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ** MABINDO - Forum Diskusi Masyarakat Buddhis Indonesia ** ** Kunjungi juga website global Mabindo di http://www.mabindo.org ** Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MABINDO/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
