Faith

Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. (Wikipedia, "Faith")

Faith is a powerful word that generates many mental paradigms. To understand the role of Faith in our lives we must properly define and weigh the importance of various components of the definition provided by wikipedia.

Confidence: the faithful must experience a state of being that is honestly self-described as one of full trust, certitude and assurance.

Truth: the faithful must experience a state of being that is honestly self-described as a feeling of being in accord with a 'body of real things' or in accordance with the individuals perception of 'ultimate reality' (in this case simply meaning the most objective lens the particular individual views his or her reality through)

Person, Idea or Thing: the faithful must have a conceptualized target to which the experience of states of certitude and accordance with a body of real things can be mapped.

Faith: Confident trust in a person, idea or thing.

'Blind' Faith:

First off, is blind faith really blind? That is, does blind faith really lack a sense of directionality implied by a suggested lack of foresight (both literally and not)? Our definition of faith requires 3 elements: the confidence, the 'truth' itself (and whether it is seen as objective or subjective in nature), and the conceptualized target the above two are mapped upon. Yet, how does one distinguish between blind faith and simply faith?

From the definition one could argue that there is no such thing as 'blind' faith because it contradicts one of the basic tenants of the initial definition. The conceptualized target onto which the confidence and truth are mapped upon leaves little room for a lack of 'vision', so to say. There must always be a conceptualized target for faith to engage the physiological and energetic systems of the human body. Without a sufficiently privileged conceptualized target the physiological and energetic consequences of faith are not properly illicited and therefore one does not experience the full power of faith.

If one can experience 'blind' faith it must then be less powerful, or less expressive of the physiological and energetic consequences of experiencing 'true' faith. Therefore, there must be different physiological and energetic consequences with varying depths of experience (as described by the individual) that result from 'blind' verses 'sighful' faith. There is a need for only two levels: the full depth and range of physiological and energetic consequences of faith, which may contain varying degrees of intensity, but are presumably different in nature from the lesser experience than the full depth and range of consequences of faith.

Respectively, Active and Passive Faith, can really be considered two different experiences all together but for the purposes of this discussion they will be considered two alternatives to an underlying conceptual interpretation of faith.

Active faith is achieved through practices such as meditation as a real time, single-pointed experience. The threshold for experiencing active verses passive faith is this idea of presence and focus. Active faith happens in the now, with intentional focus and practice. This does not require a conceptualized secondary messenger to activate similar processes to lesser degrees as we find with passive faith. Active faith requires finding 3 components within yourself essentially; The confidence, The Truth itself, and the conceptualized target to map the above to. In my practice the confidence lies in the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha which are considered truth beyond all doubt. The Truth itself rests in many eastern wisdoms such as impermanence and the nature of suffering. Where the first problem arises for my practice however is in the conceptualized target. For many Christians this is the easy part, God.

God is unquestionably given this privileged position in the mind. The concept of God can handle the negative feedback loop doubt instills in the mind from the confidence and truth itself components of faith. However, I do not believe in a God. My mind cannot give this privileged position to any Person, Idea or Thing. The lack of person, idea or thing is the pedestal upon which I want to rest the weight of doubt upon, in hope that it is dissolved into a sort of paradoxical black hole of infinite probabilities created by this conceptual loop hole in our minds.

The lack of the second component, the truth itself, also contributes to the doubt rested upon the last component. Buddhist teachings tell us that the only objective truth is the lack of an objective truth. Impermanence teaches us that objectivity is a phantom. There is no truth itself which can be mapped upon a conceptualized target. Even if there was the conceptualized target itself has no inherent existence in and of itself, and is only the result of causes and conditions preceding it therefore making the target arbitrary.

This leads to a lack in the first component, confidence. The Buddhist teachings tell us that the only confidence we may find in our lives that has a sense of ultimate reality backing it is confidence in nothing, and experiencing satiety through such a belief. There is nothing to have confidence in and you have to be satisfied with that.

Buddhism, for me, has truly tested my ability to experience active faith. Active faith requires facing the demons of doubt, turning them upon themselves in an infinite and paradoxical feedback loop all in the hope of creating a sliver of a moment in which one can experience union.

The idea of faith itself is a phantom. Any concept found in religion which is open to contemplation is merely a tool for creating in our minds this infinite paradoxical feedback loop, the physiological and energetic precursor to simply being. It is primarily through this portal that the power of faith is activated. Again, paradoxically, only through releasing all which you know and think of faith can you access the true power of faith.