The Importance of Faith
in our Life
What is faith?
Faith is the fundamental principle of life. It is the substratum of everything we do. Faith is the very essence of all beings. The whole world runs on faith only. The partner has faith in his or her partner. The shop owner has faith in his customers. The patient has faith in his doctor. The client has faith in his lawyer.
The two Sanskrit words for faith, shrat, meaning “that which is based on truth (of one’s own being)” and vishvasa, which we can loosely translate as the “breath of one’s life”, capture beautifully the deep meaning and the importance of faith.
What is it that sustains us in life in spite many difficulties we face? What is it that carries us on even when, at times, we may be feeling low and even straying from the path of virtue or truth, and may be doing things that are contrary to our best interests? The answer is simple – it is faith - not the external form of it, but the very life of faith, the inner faith, that which exists as a living force within us, the force which guides us and protects us.
The Origin of Faith
Why do some people have faith in music or arts, and others in science, and yet some others in spirituality or any other pursuit? How is faith formed? Our faith in this lifetime was created by our past actions which left the indelible impressions in our subconscious mind which now act as a living and guiding power in our life. Our interests and faith in things stretches back to many lifetimes we have lived before.
“What we have studied, experienced and verified in past incarnations establishes itself of its own accord in this life as unshakeable faith.” Omraam Aivanhov
Faith is not imposed from outside, but is produced by the tendencies that are the results of our past actions which now gives direction and provides a destination for our efforts. Faith is a powerful, an impelling force which springs forth spontaneously from within.
Faith in Oneself
While many emphasize the importance of faith in external things, such as having faith in science, doctors, people and life in general, the genuine spiritual masters remind us also that that the true foundation of all faith is in fact, the faith in oneself. It is here where often people fall short. They seem to have faith in external phenomena, but they don’t have faith in themselves. Have faith in your own self. Have faith in the truth within you. The truth of your own being will guide you on.
“The faith of each is in accordance with his nature, O Arjuna.
The person is made up of his or her faith;
as a person’s faith is, so verily is the person.”
The Bhagavad Gita