DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - What is the role of faith in Buddhism? Do we need blind faith ?

**Yfclciak** · 08-31-2010, 11:19 PM

...I agree with the sentiment, but I'm unsure how helpful saying this is; this just tends to make people defensive about their faith -- whether it be Buddhism or any other....

That's right on target in the sense that the important thing is the results the approach has, rather than any idea about its absolute 'rightness' or 'wrongness'.

Anyway, I tend to think of faith as being something that is earned, not assumed. However, this sounds suspiciously like parroted rhetoric, rather than the result of reflection. I don't see how it connects with what follows:

That is, I have faith that karma is at work in our lives as I have come across definite examples. Thus, my faith in it's validity has come about because of experiences I have had. If you've directly experienced karma, you don't need faith in it; it's undeniable. However, the way experiences are interpreted is crucial. One should keep in mind such things as selection bias, emotional appeals, appeals to authority and other logical fallacies. IOW, don't believe what somebody tells you; just accept it as a report. Then, investigate without bias. I've known quite a few shaven-headed, robe-wearing monks, both 'fresh' and 'seasoned' who were still caught up in such nonsense as traditionalism, nationalism and hero-worship. At some point, one who wants to see deeply must stop being a follower of anyone, including the Buddha, and see/evaluate things for him/herself.

Blind faith, as I see it, takes the 'earned' portion of faith out of the picture. For example, the Bible is God's word. Well, I have no faith in this as I have absolutely no way of saying this is the case or not. So it is only fair of me not to have faith in this 'fact'.
So, no I do not think Buddhism 'needs' blind faith. In fact, this is never needed.
Just my two cents. I don't know if anyone agrees.
Namaste.
Chris

I agree. One of the goals of Buddhism is to eradicate blind faith. I'm curious as to what you've experienced as direct evidence of karma. I have a version of it in mind, but it doesn't jibe with what the popular conception of it seems to be. I'm pretty sure there is at least one other thread about karma, though, so I won't try to derail this thread on that topic. Peace.

08-31-2010, 11:19 PM	#8
Yfclciak Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 490 Senior Member	...I agree with the sentiment, but I'm unsure how helpful saying this is; this just tends to make people defensive about their faith -- whether it be Buddhism or any other.... That's right on target in the sense that the important thing is the results the approach has, rather than any idea about its absolute 'rightness' or 'wrongness'. Anyway, I tend to think of faith as being something that is earned, not assumed. However, this sounds suspiciously like parroted rhetoric, rather than the result of reflection. I don't see how it connects with what follows: That is, I have faith that karma is at work in our lives as I have come across definite examples. Thus, my faith in it's validity has come about because of experiences I have had. If you've directly experienced karma, you don't need faith in it; it's undeniable. However, the way experiences are interpreted is crucial. One should keep in mind such things as selection bias, emotional appeals, appeals to authority and other logical fallacies. IOW, don't believe what somebody tells you; just accept it as a report. Then, investigate without bias. I've known quite a few shaven-headed, robe-wearing monks, both 'fresh' and 'seasoned' who were still caught up in such nonsense as traditionalism, nationalism and hero-worship. At some point, one who wants to see deeply must stop being a follower of anyone, including the Buddha, and see/evaluate things for him/herself. Blind faith, as I see it, takes the 'earned' portion of faith out of the picture. For example, the Bible is God's word. Well, I have no faith in this as I have absolutely no way of saying this is the case or not. So it is only fair of me not to have faith in this 'fact'. So, no I do not think Buddhism 'needs' blind faith. In fact, this is never needed. Just my two cents. I don't know if anyone agrees. Namaste. Chris I agree. One of the goals of Buddhism is to eradicate blind faith. I'm curious as to what you've experienced as direct evidence of karma. I have a version of it in mind, but it doesn't jibe with what the popular conception of it seems to be. I'm pretty sure there is at least one other thread about karma, though, so I won't try to derail this thread on that topic. Peace.
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