On use of the word "faith"

"Faith" is a tricky word in Jodo Shinshu usage.

While reading for my Honen study group I came across this passage, a quote from T'an Luan's Commentary on the Treatise on Birth in the Pure Land, in "Teachings of Honen":

The Easy Practice refers to birth in the Pure Land simply through faith in the Essential Vow of Buddha Amitabha. One can be born in the Pure Land and will immediately become characterized as being in the state of the certain attainment of birth by reliance on the power of His vow. The certain attainment of birth is attached to the practice of non-retrogression (126).

Over and over again, we struggle with the word because faith carries a radically different meaning in Buddhism than it does in Christianity. For Buddhists of any denomination or school, faith implies a dualistic relationship between the believer and the being or entity in whom the believer has placed her faith. By necessity, the relationship is one of two separate entities between whom there is no equality, no common link.

But in Buddhism, this relationship is very different because of the belief that all sentient beings inherently have Buddha nature. In other words, we all have within ourselves the ability to realize our full potential as buddhas, to eventually realize our true Buddha Nature in lieu of our delusional sense of self. It is because of the this recognition of our potential that faith is such a poor word, and carries with it a tremendous risk for misrepresenting the Dharma.

Jodo Shinshu teachers and thinkers have struggled with this for years. The word faith, although initially introduced with the best of intentions in order to help people understand a complicated premise, is deceptively dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. The problem, of course, remains in deciding which word with which to replace it.

The Rev. Kenryu Tsuji writes:

Why is it that a man who has Faith does not become enlightened in this life? The answer lies in the nature of man. He is still in his earthly body, subject to physical and mental limitations. So long as he is a relative and imperfect being, he can never become an absolute Buddha, perfect in every respect. It is, therefore, that the assurance of Buddhahood is given in this life and the actual attainment of Buddhahood is realized in the Pure Land. In the Creed we read, "We rely upon Amida Buddha with our whole heart for the Enlightenment in the life to come".

Faith will not save us so long as it enforces a separation between our selves and Amida. We must move beyond faith to awakening to realize our Buddha Nature; with that awakening, we open ourselves to enlightenment by recognizing our limitations as human beings. Faith is counterproductive and limiting; recognition of our flawed humanity is the path to our salvation through Amida.