ABSTRACT

In a popular dictionary we find this definition of faith: ‘The assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed.’ These are differences in interpretation and emphasis between the Western and Eastern conceptions of faith. But it is more important that we try to understand the principle which is common to both points of view, the principle which is accepted by all the great religions of the world—an insistence upon faith in the scriptures, because they contain the revealed words of God. Brahman, Pure Consciousness, is present in all three states of ordinary awareness—waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. According to Vedanta, faith in the scriptures is not enough. We must also have faith in the words of the guru, the living teacher, in whom the truth has been revealed. There must be living exemplars of the scriptural truths, otherwise the scriptures will be misunderstood or become forgotten.