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RE: faith in HIM

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sriram Ranganathan • June 2, 2001 


Sri Bhadri wrote:
>.......
>Basically, i want to know whether it is at all possible for my faith in HIM
to be just
>that, a complete faith, without looking for any pramaNa.
>.......

Dear Sri Bhadri and fellow members,

There are a few things that can be 'known', as we all know, without being
told or experiencing it first hand.

For e.g. a new born instictively knows how to feed from its mother. Nobody
tells and neither can this be told. Similarly, the ability to defend oneself
when in danger. All creatures do this instinctively - for the very first
time and everytime when required. In both cases, there is an implicit
trust - the baby trusts its mother and we have some faith in ourselves when
we fight back.

But unlike feeding or defending, faith in God develops as a result of some
exposure.
However, in my opinion, trust or faith in The Supreme Power can, and usually
does, develop without 'experiencing' God directly.

But once it develops, faith can exist without any pramaNa. The only pramanA,
if it can be called so, is whatever we happen to know at that point. In
fact, that is exactly how it is for millions of people. Many just don't know
much about their religion, perhaps a little here and there, but they just
believe in whatever they know. So I guess my answer is yes, it is possible
for faith in Him to be just that.

However, to keep it forever and enjoy the experience, one has to understand
the philosophy or rationale underlying one's faith, learn a few works of
great saints and scholars and practice it on a daily basis. This eventually
will help in true 'realization'.

Hope this helps. As always, I request the members to correct me.

Reverently,
Sriram


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