#bodhipaksa

Buddhism is not principally a system of belief, but of practice; it's not about what you believe, but about what you do. In Buddhist psychology the word "faith" represents trust or confidence based on experience. Faith is like following someone's instructions on how to get from point A to point B in an unfamiliar place; once you've discovered for yourself that the first few directions correspond to reality, you can begin to trust your guide. This trust is saddha - faith.

Uncomfortable feelings could be seen, perhaps, as the reptilian and limbic brains asking for help. Our compassion is when the neocortex provides that help. When the neocortex hasn’t learned how to be a source of emotional support, the limbic brain is often chronically insecure or afraid—continually on the lookout for potential threats. It’s as if it thinks it’s on its own, which, if it doesn’t have a source of love, support, and encouragement, is true. So the most recently evolved parts of us need to learn how to provide support and reassurance for the more ancient, emotional, and insecure parts of the brain.