By Doreen Schweizer with Anjali Sharma
There is a wonderful teaching in the Buddha’s Dharma called Transcendent Dependent Origination. It describes freedom’s unfolding. In our personal lives and in the life of a community, this transformative process begins when we pause in the middle of the seemingly relentless repetition of argument and resentment––and we then choose not to respond to it with more complaint. Instead, in any moment, when we meet the pains of struggle and discontent with an open heart––with a humility born of experience and a growing trust in the wisdom of compassion and care––we are nourished along on a journey, which leads through joy, community, and friendship to a full understanding and liberation of life.
Confidence, trust, assurance, and conviction are some of the words that describe the meaning of the word saddha in Pali, the language of the Buddhist scriptures. It is often used to translate the English word faith, but this can be misleading. Saddha doesn’t refer to faith in a higher being or in some external source of goodness. As a teacher of mine once put it, it is not so much a belief that there is a positive force in this world, but instead, it is a belief that “I can be a positive force in this world.”
In its linguistic roots, saddha connects to the word for heart, so perhaps there is a touch of courageous action implied here. In Buddhist teachings, the faith needed to start on this “path of peace” grows stronger over time, through practice. First, there is an inspired or “bright” faith: we hear a talk, or read a book, or we know someone whom we recognize as kind, wise, and energetic. We meditate a bit or learn a few basic principles and begin to try them out. Life gets a bit happier, and our faith begins to feel “verified.” The Buddha is known for encouraging this exploration: Ehipassiko: “Come see for yourself,” he said.
In time, our confidence and our trust in these teachings, and in our own developing skills in wisdom and kindness, grow to become “realized,” integrated into our bodies and hearts; and in time, our faith becomes “unshakeable.” In my own life, I see these stages of faith as a bit fluid. Even though, increasingly, this supportive saddha and its fruits are second nature to me, at times, confusion and despair about my personal future and that of the whole world can grow large. The raw, open, human-caused suffering of war, hatred, cruelty and oppression become truly unbearable; my faith shakes. At such times, it is important to meet my faltering with kindness and wisdom. Often I am helped by simply placing my hand on my heart and whispering to myself such words as “This is a moment of suffering. Of course I would feel this way.”
Often too, I am helped by returning to the inspiring process of bright faith. Late this summer I was lifted up by the work of my friend Anjali Sharma, the thirteen-year-old daughter of Valley Insight Dharma Teacher Subha Srinivasan. Anji entered ninth grade at Lebanon High School this fall. These “notes” evolved as she was trying out a new computer app, choosing to summarize her mom’s recent Dharma talk on the Buddha’s first teaching, which is about the wise way to respond to the sorrows and pains in our collective lives without creating more pain: the Four Noble Truths. Anji has given me permission to share these “Notes” with you. May they brighten and refresh our faith in good heartedness and wisdom––exponentially.