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Faith does not answer questions, it laughs at them || Acharya Prashant on Jesus (2014)
Scriptures and Saints
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2 years ago
Faith
Belief
Jesus
Miracles
Loyalty
Zen
Kabir Saheb
Surrender
Description

Acharya Prashant discusses the nature of faith as described in the Bible, defining it as the evidence of things not seen. He recounts how Jesus responded to those who demanded signs or proofs by stating that their faithlessness prevented them from seeing. He explains that miracles, such as walking on water or feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread, occur for those who already possess deep faith. For the faithful, there is no "how" or cause-and-effect chain; things simply happen directly from the source. He suggests that asking "how" interrupts the miracle, much like asking how an elephant flies would cause it to make an emergency landing. The speaker distinguishes between belief and faith. Belief is fragile and afraid of questions because questioning might shatter it. In contrast, faith is neither afraid of nor disturbed by questions because it resides at a depth that questions cannot reach. A faithful person can joke with questions or respond in ways that seem illogical to the calculating brain, such as Shri Ramakrishna asking Swami Vivekananda if he wanted to see God "today or tomorrow." He notes that in traditions like Zen, the faithful may even mock sacred figures like the Buddha, as their entire life becomes a joke that transcends serious, logical inquiry. Acharya Prashant further clarifies the difference between loyalty and faith. While both involve acknowledging something bigger than oneself, loyalty is directed toward worldly objects, such as an employer or a spouse, and is therefore conditional and fragile. Faith, however, has no object and is absolute and unwavering. He emphasizes that questions should not be suppressed but brought into the open to expose their inherent limitations. Finally, he references Kabir Saheb to explain that surrendering to one true master allows one to attain the essence of everything, whereas divided loyalties lead to nothing.