This month, I’m practicing the ninth paramita bala, or spiritual power. Buddhist tradition names five powers, the panchabala, that provide us strength over whatever hindrances we may face. The first of these is faith, or more specifically, trust. Often, when we hear the word faith, we assume it means to believe certain ideas to be true. But faith in every spiritual tradition is far more than just nodding your head yes to some declarations. It means trusting in the teachings to guide you into an embodied spiritual life. The spiritual power of trust brings confidence. It destroys doubt- not completely, because faith without doubt is incomplete. But enough to allow you the confidence to live boldly and openly, even in your confusion or uncertainty.

We can picture the spiritual power of trust in three separate aspects:

1. Trust in the teachings. When you belong to a spiritual tradition, you put your faith in its teachings. You decide they are worth heeding as you live your life. Buddha said when we trust the dharma (teachings), we are like birds who trust the tree in which we are building our nest. The nest is our work, but the tree cradles that work in a trustworthy manner.
2. Trust in the practice. Because we have faith in the teachings, we also trust that practicing these teachings will mold us in a positive way. We trust it’s a good and worthy road to walk, and the longer we walk it, the more insight we will receive on how to walk it well.
3. Trust in ourselves. Here’s where we often falter. We can lean on trust so much that we leave ourselves behind in the process…or out of it completely. But this is where confidence comes back in; when we have faith in the teachings and the practice, we also gain confidence that we are capable of living into them. WE CAN DO THIS. And if we don’t think we can do this, then the spiritual power of trust will not come to us.

Here’s what the spiritual power of trust does not require: knowing everything, getting it right, being totally certain it will work out the way you want it to work out. Don’t be deceived. These are all sophisticated forms of doubt. It’s toxic perfectionism, to require ourselves to be “totally ready” (whatever that means) before we can get started. Faith asks us to start walking with lingering questions and uncertain futures and unstable practices. Just keep walking. If we rest in the teachings, trust in the practice, and have confidence in ourselves, all is coming. All will be well.

And when all is not well, if the spiritual power of trust is present, then we will be well anyway.

And we will keep walking.

This post is part of the Paramita Project, where I’m practicing one paramita each month. Read all my posts on bala, spiritual power, here. And you can find links to the other paramitas (generosity, discipline, meditation, etc.) in the categories box on the right.