I’m sure growing up as Christians, Catholics, or Muslims, the word “faith” pops up a lot. “Have faith in God,” “Have faith in Jesus,” etc. Those religions rely on these outside sources to somehow fuel your “faith-o-meter” in something, whether you’re waiting on results for a test, a decision on a home mortgage loan, or maybe because things in your life just aren’t happening. People always seem to put their faith in someone (something) else’s hands.
In Buddhism we have faith. But it’s not in the Buddha or any of the Bodhisattvas. Buddha is not a god or deity of worship. Buddha never asked us to worship him or give him offerings, and he never asked us to ask him for blessings. He doesn’t accept bribery. Buddha said, “If you want to serve me, do so by serving the people.”
So what faith does Buddhism have? Faith in Buddhism is faith in ourselves! It’s faith in ourselves knowing we have the potential, the aspiration, the Buddha Nature, to become a Buddha someday! We, and all sentient beings, have Buddha Nature. Buddha Nature is the innate capacity we all have to achieve Buddhahood.
So it’s important to not only follow and live a life as a Buddhist practitioner, but to also believe that you will someday become a Buddha. That might happen in this life, the next life, or the next several lives – but it will eventually happen. As long as you practice the Eightfold Path, you guarantee yourself a closer chance to achieving liberation.
So unlike in other religions where they rely on a god, prophet, or some sort of deity of worship, Buddhism is a mind-centered religion. It’s a “I can help myself” religion – you don’t need permission, blessings, or forgiveness from anyone else, all you need to do is ask yourself, “Is this right thought/perception/action, etc.?” And if you’ve done something “wrong,” you don’t need to seek forgiveness from the Buddha or a monk, you simple forgive yourself and promise yourself you’ll not do it again (or at least try not to).
Smile and be well!