What did the Buddha say about Faith
(SaddhA)?
The Blessed Buddha once said:
And even though a disciple of the Noble Ones lives off lumps of alms food and
wears rag-robes, still, because he is endowed with
four qualities, then he is freed
from hell, freed from the animal
womb, freed from the realm of hungry ghosts,
freed from all the
planes of pain and deprivation, the bad and low destinations.
And what are these
4 qualities? There is the case where the disciple of the
Noble Ones
is endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction
in the Awakened Buddha like
this: Worthy, honourable and perfectly
self-Enlightened is the Buddha! Fully consummated
in knowledge and
behaviour, totally transcended, expert in all the phases and dimensions,
knower of
all worlds, unsurpassable trainer of those who can be tamed, both
teacher and
guide of gods as well as of humans, blessed, exalted,
awakened and enlightened is the Buddha.
He/she is endowed with verified faith, confidence
and conviction in
the Dhamma like this:
Perfectly formulated is this Buddha-Dhamma,
visible right here and now, immediately effective, timeless, inviting
each and everyone to come and see for themselves, inspect, examine
and verify. Leading each and everyone through progress towards
complete perfection.
Directly observable, experiencable and realizable by
each intelligence...
He/she is endowed with verified faith, confidence
and conviction in
the Noble Sangha
like this: Perfectly training is this Noble Sangha
community of the Buddha's Noble
disciples: Training the right way,
the true way, the good way, the direct way!
Therefore do these 8
kinds of individuals, these four Noble pairs, deserve both gifts,
grants,
sacrifice, offerings, hospitality and reverential salutation with
joined palms,
since this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's
Noble disciples, is an unsurpassable
and forever unsurpassed field
of merit, in this world, for this world, to honour, respect,
support, give to and protect.
He/she is endowed with a long-term clean morality, which are dear to the
Noble Ones:
A moral purity that is untorn, unbroken, unspotted, and
impeccable, liberating, praised
by the wise, immaculate, and leading to
absorbed concentration. SN 55.1
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn55/sn55.001.than.html
For a lay person, there are these five rewards of faith, confidence
and conviction:
Which five?
1: When truly Noble beings in this
universe show compassion, they will
first show true
compassion to people of faith, confidence and conviction,
and not to people lacking
in faith, confidence and conviction...
2: When visiting, they
first visit people of faith, confidence
and conviction,
and not
people without faith, confidence and conviction...
3: When accepting gifts, they first accept gifts from people with
faith, confidence
and conviction, and thereafter from people lacking faith,
confidence and conviction.
4: When teaching the Dhamma, they first teach those with faith,
confidence and
conviction, and then later to those without faith, confidence and conviction.
5: A person of faith, confidence and conviction, on the break-up of
the body, right
after death, will arise in a good destination, the heavenly
world. For a lay person,
these are the five certain rewards of faith,
confidence and conviction. AN 5:38
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.038.than.html
And how is the individual, who is released through faith, confidence
and conviction?
There is the case, where a certain individual does not
dwell immersed in those subtle
peaceful states, that has transcended all form,
but having understood the Dhamma,
some of his mental fermentations are ended,
and his faith, confidence and conviction
in the Tathagata is settled, well
rooted, and established. This is called an individual,
who is released
through faith, confidence and conviction. Regarding this monk, I say
that he has still a task to do. Why is that? Perhaps this Venerable,
when staying at
suitable places, associating with admirable friends,
while balancing his mental abilities,
will reach and dwell in the supreme
goal of the Noble life for which good men rightly
go forth from the home
into homelessness, directly realizing it for himself right here
and now.
Envisioning this fruit of further effort for this monk, I say that he still
has
a task to complete. MN 70
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.070.than.html
Any female disciple of the Noble Ones, who grows by these 5 types
of growth grows
a Noble growth, and thereby get a handle on what
is essential, and what is excellent.
Which five?
She grows in terms of Faith...
She grows in terms of Morality...
She grows in terms of Learning...
She grows in terms of Generosity...
She grows in terms of Understanding....
Growing by these five types of growth, any female disciple of the
Noble Ones grows
a Noble growth, and thereby gets hold on what
is really essential, and what indeed is
quite and truly excellent. Growing in faith, morality, learning, generosity,
and finally
understanding, a virtuous female
lay disciple, such as this, establishes the real and
genuine essence within herself.
SN 37.34
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Three_Jewels.htm
For fine further Faith
(Saddhā) please see:
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Going_Forth_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Outstanding_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Unwavering_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Analysis_of_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Power_of_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Faith_Summary.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Highest_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Fruitful_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Leaping_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Mutual_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Dual_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Fine_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Rich_Faith.htm
https://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Lay_Faith.htm
