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Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.
- Alan Watts -
Very nice. I happen to think that on the flipside of Faith is Fear. If I'm living my life in faith (at peace) there is zero tolerance for fear.
It's a concious effort to hand my fear back to my Creator who I call God. But it's the only way to stay in the serene state of faith, knowing that I am tucked away safe in my Higher Power's care.
Very nice. I happen to think that on the flipside of Faith is Fear. If I'm living my life in faith (at peace) there is zero tolerance for fear.
It's a concious effort to hand my fear back to my Creator who I call God. But it's the only way to stay in the serene state of faith, knowing that I am tucked away safe in my Higher Power's care.
Cool. nice. Yes, and i find that the more open i am and the more i allow myself to trust and to "give myself over", ie; surrender to the mystery and allow the creative life force, the living spirit, (whatever you wanna call it) to flow through me and around me and to not have to know and control and be so certain of everything (all fear based) the less chance fear has of getting its teeth into me ... so to speak.
Cool. nice. Yes, and i find that the more open i am and the more i allow myself to trust and to "give myself over", ie; surrender to the mystery and allow the creative life force, the living spirit, (whatever you wanna call it) to flow through me and around me and to not have to know and control and be so certain of everything (all fear based) the less chance fear has of getting its teeth into me ... so to speak.
Precisely. It's also interesting to see my body react to fear. I tense up, breathe more shallow (if at all) and block myself from allowing the Creator's gifts. It's only when I give it over (the fear, worry, guilt, whathaveyou) that I find peace and can fully rely on God to do for me what I cannot do for myself. (some of you will get that)
Then I can have faith, full faith that my God is there and I am taken care of today and tomorrow.
Location: The world, where will fate take me this time?
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Here is a picture of Shiva, sitting in the yogic posture of padmasana or full lotus, his eyes are serene with the inner peace which comes from the feeling of unity with god that is aroused during yoga meditation, his spiritual eye is fully opened thanks to his constant and devoted practice of sadhana (spiritual discipline) the tiger skin where he is sitting symbolizes the mind, which is like a tiger, Shiva is sitting over it because he has achieved total control of it.
His left hand with his palm open is the Abhaya "No-fear" Mudrā (posture) which represents protection, peace, benevolence, and dispelling of fear.
Fear is the opposite of Faith, so don't fear, just have faith in whatever inspires divinity in you, true Faith is not blind, but something that grows with the repeated experience of God felt in your spiritual discipline.
Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.
- Alan Watts -
Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.
- Alan Watts -
That's not faith, that's being calm. You have very good reasons to assume you will float if you relax. Faith is believing something without any convincing reasons.
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(some of you will get that)
