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ELEMENTS OF YOGA
CONTENTS
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V
FAITH Q: What is the difference between faith, belief and confidence ? A: Faith is a feeling in the whole being; belief is mental; confidence means trust in a person or in the Divine or a feeling of surity about the result of one's seeking or endeavour.
Q: What do people mean by "blind faith" ? A: The phrase has no real meaning. I suppose they mean they will not believe without proof —but the conclusion formed after proof is not faith, it is knowledge or it is a mental opinion. Faith is something which one has before proof or knowledge and it helps you to arrive at knowledge or experience. There is no proof that God exists, but if I have faith in God, then I can arrive at the experience of the Divine.
Q: What is the difference between psychic faith, mental faith, vital faith and physical faith ? A: Mental faith combats doubt and helps to open to the true knowledge; vital faith prevents the attacks of the hostile forces or defeats them and helps to open to the true spiritual will and action; physical faith keeps one firm through all physical obscurity, inertia or suffering and helps to open to the foundation of the true consciousness; psychic faith opens to the direct touch of the Divine and helps to bring union and surrender.
Q: What is meant by "dynamic faith" ? Is not all faith dynamic? A: Faith can be Tamasic and ineffective, e.g. "I believe the Mother will do everything, so I will do nothing. When she wants, she will transform me." That is not a dynamic but a static and inert faith.
Q: Even after the sadhaks have complete faith and surrender, have they to wait long to get the higher experiences by the Divine Grace? A: If the faith and surrender are complete in every part, it is not possible that there should be no experience. |