Faith Talks
Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, including "something that is believed especially with strong conviction", "complete trust", "belief and trust in and loyalty to God", as well as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof".
Religious people often think of faith as confidence based on a perceived degree of warrant, or evidence, while others who are more skeptical of religion tend to think of faith as simply belief without evidence.
In the Roman world, 'faith' (Latin: fides) was understood without particular association with gods or beliefs. Instead, it was understood as a paradoxical set of reciprocal ideas: voluntary will and voluntary restraint in the sense of father over family or host over guest, whereby one party willfully surrenders to a party who could harm but chooses not to, thereby entrusting or confiding in them.
Accordingly to Thomas Aquinas, faith is "an act of the intellect assenting to the truth at the command of the will".
Religion has a long tradition, since the ancient world, of analyzing divine questions using common human experiences such as sensation, reason, science, and history that do not rely on revelation—called Natural theology.
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Zen Meditation as Bodhisattva VowDuring this course, we will study the bodhisattva vow, to see how the compassionate intentions of enlightening beings generate, work, and play with the mind of enlightenment to promote peace and... Nirvana, Bodhisattva Vow, resistance, Faith, Buddha Nature, difficulty |
Aug 14 2007 The Yoga Room |
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Zen Meditation as Bodhisattva VowDuring this course, we will study the bodhisattva vow, to see how the compassionate intentions of enlightening beings generate, work, and play with the mind of enlightenment to promote peace and... zen meditation, Obstacles, Lotus Sutra, Bodhisattva Vow, Soto Zen, Confession-and-... |
Aug 07 2007 The Yoga Room |
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GnosticismAmerican Buddhism as a gnostic practice; meaning of the word "tathagata" Faith, Practice Period, Hindrances, American, Triple Treasure |
Feb 03 2007 PM No Abode Hermitage |
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Commmentary on "Respect for Things" (from Not Always So)Serial: BZ-01408B Faith is Synonymous for Enlightenment, Saturday Lecture Faith, Enlightenment, Big Mind, Culture, Bodhisattva Way, Building, Soto Zen, Bowing... |
Dec 09 2006 Berkeley Zen Center |
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2006.11.11-ZMC Repentance, Confession-and-Repentance, Faith, Non-duality, lecture, Tassajara, Zendo... |
Nov 11 2006 Tassajara |
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Intention Transforms the WorldOur thinking and intention makes the world what it is; awareness of intention makes our contribution a positive one Greed, Faith, War, Bodhisattva Vow, Hate |
Aug 12 2006 AM No Abode Hermitage |