In the Tao Te Ching Faith is described as 'Hollow as fear'
Faith and fear are both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self
when you do not see the self as self
fear does not arise
and faith is not needed
whether you go up the ladder or down it
your position is still shaky
better to stand with both your two feet on the ground.....
2007-09-08 04:44:07 · 22 answers · asked by Zen-Psycholgy Guy 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I know Faith because of Fear.
Yet Fear is A lack of Faith....
It Seems in my moments of heighten Fear, sorrow, or Loneliness..I find myself on my knees in prayer, and my Faith in that prayer,and the God of my understanding, has Literally Saved My Life!!!!!
Though, in most part, as I'm not so focused on the self, it is the omnipresence that sturdies the Ladder, The experience of Fear,has nourished my Faith and helps me down that Ladder............Now whether it is that belief in my self or a being greter than my self is indifferent, it is faith or belief itself that is the source of strenght.Anyone who doesn't understand this has lived in a comfy little shell, and doesn't know vunerablilty,nor has had an experience of being at the mercy of another...... or just has a black heart!
2007-09-08 05:01:05 · answer #1 · answered by iwild 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Standing with both your two feet on the ground is another way of saying, "I know I AM THAT I AM".
When you do not see the self as self, you are conscious of yourself as the Universal "I AM THAT I AM", which requires NO FURTHER QUALIFICATION.
Faith is not believing. Faith is knowing….that That which is true cannot be anything other than true.
Faith is knowing, not believing, that 2+2=4, regardless where or when or why you operate the principle that produces the answer correctly.
Or you would NOT know, or hear, or, see, or taste, or touch, or experience at all.
While it remains unaware of its true place in consciousness, the individual "me" requires some means to validate its reflection. Belief in faith and fear is the crutch the individual "me" utilizes until it comes to the place of knowing I AM That I AM stands on its own.
When the individual "me" can under-“stand” on its own (with both feet on the ground) , you KNOW WHO you are....
Orin
2007-09-08 12:15:06 · answer #2 · answered by guthrio 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Merlin, in this regard I can speak only for myself: as a humanist and an atheist I do not think that 'faith' in an invisible god in the sky is important. I do harbor faith in my own talents, in myself, in my reasoning abilities. I have not been disappointed. Other than here, at R&S, I very nearly never ever think about religion and all that, and happily the various gods do their thing and I do mine. If I found out that a god in the clouds was looking down at me in bed or the loo, I'd call the police and have him (or her, or it) arrested.
2007-09-08 12:01:35 · answer #3 · answered by Yank 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Faith is hollow but its hollowness serves a purpose and that is to combat fear. When I get into my car in the morning I have faith that no one tampered with it in the evening and that it will start and take me to work. Without faith I would never leave my bed because I had no faith in anything.
2007-09-08 11:48:31 · answer #4 · answered by doorofperception13 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Faith is belief in things for which you don't have good reason to believe, if you have good reasons to believe something (say the existence of gravity) then you aren't likely to have faith in it.
It may be important in some peoples' lives but it rather clearly shouldn't be.
2007-09-08 12:01:51 · answer #5 · answered by bestonnet_00 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible says, 'There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because God first loved us.' (1 John 4:7-21) It also says 'All that is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23) and, 'The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love' (Galatians 5:6).
I trust your meditation on those scriptures will bring insight.
2007-09-08 11:56:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Faith is very important, and faith is not hollow fear. If that is what you think faith is I feel sorry for you.
2007-09-08 11:47:58 · answer #7 · answered by Cookyduster 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Faith is a gift from God, it is very important, sometimes thats all we have to hang on to.
2007-09-08 12:04:47 · answer #8 · answered by simple serenity 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith is important in my own life. Whether it's important in the lives of others isn't important in my own life.
2007-09-08 11:53:57 · answer #9 · answered by Jack P 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Everyone has faith that there is going to be air to breath when we wake up tomorrow morning.
2007-09-08 12:02:30 · answer #10 · answered by Sal D 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋