It is said that faith can move mountains. That is a tremendous amount of power; but what is faith, and why does everyone not have it? Those who have faith may not be literally making mountains move, but there are numerous examples in history of people succeeding in seemingly impossible tasks because of their absolute faith in their ability or their cause.
Usually, faith refers to a strong belief or trust in something, often without empirical evidence. It is a deeply personal and subjective aspect of our life, and its basis can vary from person to person, depending on their perspective and religious or philosophical beliefs.
Many religious faiths are centred around the belief in a higher power, such as God. The basis of faith in such cases is trust in the existence and attributes of the divine being. Faith can also be based on sacred texts or teachings that are considered authoritative. The texts may be seen as divine revelations or inspired writings, and believers place their trust in their wisdom.
But these beliefs can be termed as blind faith in the absence of any solid proof as their basis. They may have been developed as a result of familial or social conditioning or a readiness to adopt ideas that one finds appealing. Such faith may shake, and even unravel, in the face of strong critical examination. Once a seed of doubt is planted in the mind about a belief that has no rational basis, it begins to lose its value and hold over us.
The strongest faith is based on personal experience, because experience is something that cannot be dismissed as a figment of imagination. Such experience may include divine revelation or assistance, or a deep sense of inner knowing. Such experiences can be powerful and persuasive, and lead us to have faith in something beyond what can be observed or proved empirically. Once a person has such faith, their doubts and vacillation cease, they find peace and stability, and are able to think more clearly about what they should and should not do with their life. Strength accompanies faith, and it can make us a source of support for others.
But is it possible to develop such faith by choice, or do such experiences occur randomly, or only for the chosen few? In order to have a powerful experience that changes our way of thinking and the course of our life, we need to take the first step of courage and belief. Without it, we cannot expect to reap the rewards that faith brings.
Have you seen how young birds learn to fly? They survey the world around their nest, fearful of leaving it, even as their parents keep chirping at them to step out and fly. Once they muster the courage to jump off the nest, frenziedly flapping their wings, they discover that they can fly! Thereafter, with some more practice, flying becomes natural for them. But it would not have been possible without the first step of courage.
If we wish to experience the power of faith, and need proof that faith works, we have to give it the opportunity to prove itself. But many understandably hesitate to do that, in a world where trust is often abused. However, if the head is clear and the heart is clean, we will instinctively know where to have faith, and believe when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. When our faith is proven to be true, the belief turns into knowledge.
B.K. Dr. Savita is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road,
Rajasthan.