Faith is the surrender of egoism. Whereas hope is the wish for a particular future outcome, faith is an immersion in present reality. Neither is faith a belief in something, for belief is a cognitive attempt at stasis in a flowing universe. Belief in something sets it apart from one's own being; faith transcends separation.
Faith most resembles trust in that it requires immersion in the unknown reality of life, it demands that we set aside personal choice in favor of the unpredictable and ongoing transformation of everything. To be a person of faith requires humility and simplicity in the face of chaos and complexity. It means what we want and desire pales in the face of what we already have and how things actually manifest.
An old Zen saw says it requires faith, doubt, and perseverance to practice Zen. What does it mean to have faith in Buddha? It means to set your small self aside, to let go of the many manifestations of clinging to your ego identity, self image, personal desire, your past, your future, even your present, it means to go beyond, and then beyond beyond, it means to drop stark naked into what you can't fathom and then trust that the universe will reveal the light you already are, it means to die to all definitions of your separate self. Faith is a means of bowing into life and dying into the moment. It is exhaling yourself away.
Beside the creek
on a crisp autumn day,
falling maple leaves transmit faith.
Faith
