Vajrasattva Retreat 2005:

On 5 January 2005, a three-month Vajrasattva Retreat was held at Sravasti Abbey. During the retreat, each morning the participants took turns leading their fellow retreatants in cultivating a good motivation for their meditation that day. You may want to read one of these motivations each morning to inspire your practice

Motivations by Nanc - Mar 17, 2005

The richness and benefits of the dharma depend greatly on how it affects our minds and hearts day to day. W are the greatest proof of its power and effectiveness. We must see the Buddha's teachings manifesting in our minds as virtue, the breaking of old negative patterns, and a deepening understanding of what the Buddha meant when he said' Be a lamp unto ourself.'Only then will faith and confidence grow towards the dharma. For some, faith grows naturally from their efforts as a flower to the sun, rain and earth. For others the cultivation of faith is slow and inconsistent with doubt and skepticism casting a shadow over one's efforts, even after in the midst of mounting evidence of the dharma's work even on the most stubborn wrong views. Is it there? Is it growing? How do I know? How does it feel?

Venerable has given teachings on the 3 kinds of faith and these have been very helpful. Once again it is apparent that as with all the steps on the "Gradual Path" faith does not come as some great magical, religious experience. It builds little by little as we gain familiarity, consistency and understanding.

First there is admiring faith which may arise with our first contact with the dharma The qualities of the teachers, monastics and lay practitioners are inspiring to us, and on some level the dharma makes sense.

As we continue on the path, settle in and perhaps take refuge, aspiring faith will arise. We have heard and read about our Buddha nature, this awakening mind waiting to be uncovered. With this faith we begin to want to be like our teachers or even the bodhisattvas we read about with their incredible compassion and skillful means. Also we will have begun to notice that all Buddhists are not alike. From Venerable Chodron to Alex Berzin to Venerable Robina, they are all uniquely their own personalities and all have very different ways of teaching the dharma. What they do have in common is their love, their clear concise understanding of the dharma, and their deep wish to benefit others.

The third kind of faith is convinced faith. This is totally based on a conviction and confidence that arises due to the deepening understanding of the dharma. Here there is an integration of the head (intellectual understanding) and the heart (devotion and trust). This is the kind of faith we see in our teachers and many of the monastics and serious practitioners. This is the unshakeable faith we all make prayers for.

So slowly, slowly as Venerable Robin says we cultivate faith building upon the foundation of practice, consistency and integration. So for our motivation today let us strive for deep faith, deep trust and confidence into the 3 Jewels today and everyday using the remarkable living examples we meet as our inspiration. Maybe one day we will become a source of inspiration and faith to others.