พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าศรัทธาที่แท้จริงคือความเชื่อที่แล่นไปสู่ความสว่าง ต้องประกอบด้วยปัญญาทั้งสามระดับ ไม่เช่นนั้นจะกลายเป็นความงมงาย และอธิบายกระบวนการสามขั้นที่นำไปสู่ศรัทธาแท้ ตั้งแต่อยากเห็นผู้มีศีล อยากฟังธรรม จนสามารถขจัดความตระหนี่ในใจได้The teacher explains that genuine faith is belief that runs toward brightness, requiring all three levels of wisdom — without which it becomes mere blind belief — and describes the three-step process leading to true faith: wanting to see a person of virtue, wanting to hear the Dhamma, and finally being able to overcome miserliness in the heart.
A lay follower asked the teacher to elaborate on a teaching from the for the People broadcast: that whoever wishes to see a person of precepts, wishes to hear the Dhamma, and can overcome in their heart, is a person of genuine faith — and that faith in Buddhism is not belief without thought, but belief accompanied by wisdom.
What Faith Really Is
The teacher explained that when someone once asked his mentor what faith was, the answer given was "brightness." When asked again on another occasion, the answer was "belief." Combining these two answers, faith means "belief that runs toward brightness," which requires wisdom — without it, belief risks becoming mere blind faith, since belief unaccompanied by wisdom, lacking sound reasoning, is simply mistaken belief.
Three Levels of Wisdom Leading to True Faith
Wisdom must begin with learned wisdom (suya panna) — wisdom gained by hearing and committing it to memory, just as a child in school must remember what they've learned in order to put it to use. Remembering requires holding awareness on that subject repeatedly, so the sphere of awareness — the sphere of — has something to anchor to; that sphere of awareness draws in merit to clear away im. From there comes reflective wisdom (jintamaya panna) — awareness aimed at understanding what has been memorized, considering it back and forth to grasp how it works and what benefit it brings. Finally comes wisdom born of meditation (namaya panna), which is special because it involves information not available anywhere in the human world — it requires connecting with the inner knowing ones, who convey this directly.
Knowledge comes in two kinds: worldly knowledge, used for one's career, and Dhamma knowledge, knowledge of life itself. To access knowledge of life, one must seek out a person of precepts, because such a person sees the value of precepts and desires purity — their wisdom is directed toward purity, peace, seclusion, dispassion, liberation, and Nibbana, unlike worldly knowledge, which pursues exciting, stimulating pleasure.
The Three-Step Process Toward True Faith
The teacher explained that this teaching was not composed arbitrarily but describes a process that must unfold in sequence. The first step is wanting to see a person of precepts. The second step is that, having seen them, one wants to hear the Dhamma from them, since a person of precepts possesses nothing but the true Dhamma as their wealth. The third step is that, upon hearing the Dhamma, profound joy and fulfillment arise — enough to overcome miserliness over one's own wealth, gladly giving it away. This is the person of genuine faith.
When the true Dhamma appears, it draws pure energy — merit — flowing into the center of brightness within the spheres of wisdom and mindfulness, driving the system of wholesome to purify and liberate continuously. The mind fills with joy and fulfillment, a clear vision arises, and inspiration to change one's life for the better follows. One's wealth becomes worthless by comparison, because faith itself is a far greater source of joy than any material wealth.
An Example From the Buddha's Time
A participant in the discussion brought up the example of Visakha, who gave specifically to monastics she personally knew, in contrast to another woman who gave to the Sangha as a whole without choosing which monks would receive it. Though Visakha was a great and wealthy laywoman, upon passing away she was reborn in a lower heavenly realm than the other woman. The teacher explained that giving to the Sangha as a whole sustains the continuation of the religion itself, and also carries a special joy in giving without playing favorites — this difference in the openness of the heart is what accounts for the difference in merit.