63 / 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

32 Quaint gate.jpg
一百八法明門
IPPYAKUHACHI-HOMYOMON
One Hundred and Eight Gates of Dharma-Illumination

The power of belief—often referred to as faith or confidence—is not blind faith, but a grounded, active conviction in one’s own potential for enlightenment and the transformative power of the Buddha’s teachings. It acts as a foundational, "sharp sword" that destroys ignorance, fuels resilience against hardship, and enables individuals to cultivate inner wisdom.

How does this relate to your daily Practice??

合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
stlah
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai
"Open to life in a benevolent way"

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

Belief, for me, is mostly built on practical experience. I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of practice, so there’s a simple conviction to just keep at it. Not because I’m chasing some high-end goal, but more like, “This is working for where I am, here and now.”

In many ways, I see it like physical exercise. You do the work, stay with it, and after a while you notice things have just… become better. Nothing dramatic, just a gradual easing and steady strengthening. That’s enough to keep me coming back to the cushion each day.

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Tenryu]

What I recognize here isn’t belief, or even confidence as a mental stance, but confidence as a bodily fact. I find myself sitting down. I notice that I don’t argue with practice anymore. Not because I’m convinced of anything, but because there’s no real reason not to sit.

Confidence, in this sense, isn’t something I summon. It has grown quietly out of repetition. Out of seeing, over time, that this way of meeting experience doesn’t collapse under difficulty. Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is promised. And still, the practice holds. That’s enough.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
st & lah

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

I feel I am repeating myself from a previous Gate on belief…

i have confidence in this Path because I see the value in the principles behind it. I have more or less forgotten about the whole enlightenment aspect of Buddhism. If it happens… great. If it doesn’t happen then there is still value in:

Sitting quietly for a period of time each day
Following some guidelines for an ethical life
Trying to bring some good into the world for other sentient beings


Tairin
say today and lah

[Seikan]

Like Tairin notes, this Gate is somewhat repetitive of Gate #58. In fact, we have reached that stretch where a number of the Gates repeat, albeit with differences in their descriptions. And those differences serve as invitations to reconsider them from alternative perspectives.

So . . . considering the Gate of "Belief" from another perspective, I appreciate how my belief (or "faith", if you will), in the Buddhadharma is a driving force behind my practice. It also acts as a safety net in that it help keep me squarely on the path when doubt creeps in and tries to steer me astray. My belief in the Dharma is like the glue that holds the rest of my practice together—and luckily, it's a pretty strong glue (i.e., don't get any on your fingers! ).



Gassho,
Seikan
stlah

[Choujou]

For myself, it is not a matter of belief or faith, but of a knowing. My path to Buddha is probably a strange one considering how I got started, but for me, there is absolutely no question about the truth of the Dharma for me. Every day I sit with this knowing and conviction.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Chikyou]

Belief in practice is a mixture of experience - knowing something is true because I have seen or felt it - and trust - knowing that, even though I haven’t personally experienced it, it is true and I will experience it in the future.

Over time, trust is gradually replaced by experience. Trust is built, I think, by practicing in community, where many people who are more experienced share their knowledge and insight. I may not trust in practice because I read a book that says it’s true, but I’ll trust in practice when many people I know tell me that they have seen it themselves.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[dorgan]

My trust in our Sangha, our lineage, my teacher, and my own practice interact and inform each other, forming a feedback loop in which small splashes of insight during zazen accumulate, and I notice how I am changing. This process affirms faith and practice.

gassho, david
stlah