釋氏要覽 1.182

1.182

The Dazhidulun states: "The Buddha said: 'If a person has faith, they can enter the great ocean of my Dharma, and can attain the fruits of a śramaṇa; they will not have shaved their head and dyed their robes in vain. If they lack faith, this person cannot enter the great ocean of my Dharma; like a withered tree that bears no flowers or fruit, they will not attain the fruits of a śramaṇa. Even though they shave their head, dye their robes, read various sūtras, and can question and answer, within the Buddha-Dharma they will obtain nothing in vain.' For this reason, in the beginning of the Buddha-Dharma, the root of faith is the wholesome starting point." ○ The Awakening of Faith states: "Faith has four kinds: 1. Faith in the fundamental, which means taking joy in contemplating the phenomenon of tathatā; 2. Faith that the Buddha has immeasurable merits, always contemplating drawing near, making offerings, and paying reverence to him, giving rise to wholesome roots and vowing to seek all-knowledge; 3. Faith that the Dharma possesses great benefit, always contemplating cultivating the pāramitās; 4. Faith that the Saṃgha can practice correctly to benefit oneself and others, always delighting in drawing near to the host of bodhisattvas and seeking to learn the practice of tathatā." ○ The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra states: "Faith has three distinctions: 1. Faith in real existence, which means deep conviction and endurance regarding the real facts and principles of phenomena; 2. Faith in having virtue, which means deep belief and joy regarding the true virtues of the Three Jewels; 3. Faith in having ability, which means deep belief that in all mundane and supramundane wholesome profound teachings there is power able to attain and accomplish them, giving rise to aspiration." ○ The Vibhāṣā-śāstra states: "Having faith is like having hands, because one is able to take hold of wholesome dharmas."