8. The Faith and the Truth

One of the most attractive characteristics of the Buddha’s teaching methodology is its emphasis on autonomy related closely to its psychological course. In Buddhism, the prerequisite of attaining liberation is purity of mind and right understanding. The central question is thus focused on two domains: cultivating and developing the mind and knowledge. And these two must be done by the practitioner himself, and none else.

Buddhism is the religion of wisdom and of freedom. The Buddha has never accepted the idea that man can get salvation by merely believing and learning in someone or the supreme. He has never claimed himself as any divine status or a personal saviour. He professes himself only to be a teacher who with compassion shows the way to his disciples and followers. The final goal whether achieved or not to depends completely on the practitioner. By the virtue of that reason, he always asked his disciples to follow him basing on the basis of their understanding, not to be from blind compliance and unquestioning belief. A truth or a doctrine, for the Buddha, must be freely inquired before having been accepted. He encourages his disciples as well as everybody, in general by “coming to see,” “coming to know” and making an investigation his teaching in the light of their reason and intellect. However, this does not mean that everything can be demonstrated rationally, for many points lay beyond the scope of the intellect, and can only be recognized by the development of higher faculties. In fact, one should not believe blindly or accept anything in the Buddha-doctrine.

This point is firmly asserted in the Kalama Sutta:

Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher’ Kalamas, when you yourselves know: ‘These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness’, enter on and abide in them. (Aṅguttara Nikāya, Sutta number 65)

It is obviously that this teaching of the Buddha does not mean to deny the faith, but that faith must be based on the basis of wisdom, must be investigated rationally by the intellectual comprehension of the follower himself. An unfounded and unquestioned belief, for the Buddhism, is a dead belief. On the contrary, a faith in the Buddha and in his Dhamma and Discipline based on the foundation of wisdom, coming after understanding is one of the two approaches of the path of stream-entry. This kind of faith is very necessary for a practitioner to make a progress on his path. It is for that reason, in the Five Faculties of The Thirty-Seven Aids/Requisites of Enlightenment, the faculty of faith (saddhā indriya) comes firstly; and in the Five Powers, the power of faith (saddhā bala) is also at the top.

In the Cūḷapuṇṇama Sutta ‘The shorter Discourse on the Full-Mon Noght’, when the Buddha explains the opposite of bad qualities and good qualities possessed by an untrue man and a true man respectively, he says: “Bhikkhus, an untrue man has no faith, no shame, no fear of wrong-doing; he is unlearned, lazy, forgetful, and unwise” (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 110.4), in contrast, “Bhikkhus, a true man has faith, shame, and fear of wrong-doing; he is learned, energetic, mindful, and wise” (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 110. 15). Thus, saddhā ‘faith’ itself is the doorstep to enter upon the truth. Moreover, in the Cankī Sutta (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 95), the Buddha advises Brahmin Bhāradvāja that when

one goes to seek a true master, he should investigate that master in regard to three kinds of states that are in regard to states based on greed, in regard to states based on hate, and in regard to states based on delusion. Reasonably, as the Buddha stated, the ultimate truth cannot easily be taught by one affected by those three kinds of states. Having investigated this, if the student sees that a master who is really purified from such three kinds of states, he should place faith in that master, visit him and pay respect to him with the full of faith. Having done thus, the student should pay his attention to listen to the Dhamma. After receiving the Dhamma, he has to memorize it and should examine the meaning of the teachings. By doing so, he will gain a reflective acceptance of those teachings; due to that, zeal spring up; when zeal has sprung up, he applies his will; after doing so, he scrutinizes; having scrutinized, he strives; resolutely striving, he realizes with the body the ultimate truth and sees it by penetrating it with wisdom. In such a way, one discovers truth. However there is no final arrival at truth yet. The final arrival at truth, the Buddha reveals, lies in the repetition, development, and cultivation of the above twelve steps. When such works are completed perfectly, then in that way one finally arrives at truth (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 95.17-33).

The above teaching thus brings out two ideas. First, man must be free and fully responsible for himself in choosing the path. Second, when the path and the master are carefully confirmed, faith itself is the first and fundamental condition to penetrate the truth. But that faith must go hand in hand with wisdom and must follow by practice.

In addition, in the Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 122, the Buddha advises bhikkhus should not to seek the teacher’s company for only the sake of discourses, stanzas, and expositions. Because for a long time, one has learned the teachings, remembered them, recited them verbally, examined them with the mind, and penetrated them well by view. But even these works have been done he does not yet gains the liberation. Therefore, one should seek the teacher’s company for the sake of the holy life, for the mind’s release and which leads to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, and nibbāna. Such teacher talks on “wanting little, on contentment, seclusion aloofness from society, arousing energy, virtue, concentration, wisdom, deliverance, knowledge and vision of deliverance: for the sake of such talk a disciple should seek the teacher’s company even if he is told to go away” (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 122.20).

For the teacher’s role, the Buddha claims clearly that he, out of compassion to his disciples, would treat them as the potter treats the raw damp clay. It means that he would repeatedly restrain them, repeatedly admonish them. Just as the potter tests the baked pots, put aside those that are cracked, split, or faulty, and keeps only those that pass the test, so too he would advise, instruct, and admonish his disciples. Those among them wish to hear those words are disciples who would reach the noble paths and fruits (see Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 122.27; The Middle length Discourses of the Buddha, n. 1159). The Buddha often tells his disciples and the followers to behave towards him with friendliness, not with hostility, because due to this, they would get welfare and happiness for a long time (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 122.25).

He distinguishes two kinds of behaviour of a disciple towards his teacher: one is with hostility, not with friendliness, and other is with friendliness, not with hostility.

Therefore, Ānanda, behave towards me with friendliness, not with hostility. That will lead to your welfare ad happiness for a long time. And how do disciples behave towards the teacher with hostility, not with friendliness? Here, Ānanda, compassionate and seeking their welfare, the Teacher teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion: ‘this is for your welfare, this is for your happiness’. His disciples do not want to hear or give ear or exert their minds to understand; they err and turn aside from the Teacher’s Dispensation. Thus do disciples behave towards the Teacher with hostility, not with friendliness. (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 122.25)

And how do disciples behave towards the Teacher with freinliness, not with hostility? Here, Ānanda, compassionate and seeking their welfare, the Teacher teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion: ‘this is for your welfare, this is for your happiness.’ His disciples want to hear and give ear and exert their minds to understand; they do not err and turn aside from the Teacher’s Dispensation. Thus do disciples behave towards the Teacher with friendliness, not with hostility. Therefore, Ānanda, behave towards me with friendliness, not with hostility. That will lead to your welfare ad happiness for a long time. (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 122.26)

It can thus be argued that when a disciple acquires perfect confidence (aveccappasāda) in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha, and in doing so, he would gain “inspiration in the meaning, gains inspiration in the Dhamma, gains gladness connected with the Dhamma. When he is glad, rapture is born in him; in one who is rapturous, the body becomes tranquil; one whose body is tranquil feels pleasure; in one who feels pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated” (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 7.8). As a bhikkhu comes to possess such virtue, such a state of concentration and wisdom, leads to the fact that no sensual desire can impede him in his quest for the final path and fruit.^[1] And through practicing in meditation, his mind finally will be liberated from the taint of sensual desire, being, and ignorance, and thus help him attain the final goal of nibbāna (see Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 7). Thus, a right faith definitely conduces to the ultimate truth, the final goal of liberation and enlightenment.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Here implies the non-returner who has eradicated sensual desire and aimed at the final path and fruit, the Arahanship.