The Value of Confidence (Saddhā) and Life

Abstract

The academic article aims to show that Saddha or confidence is indeed required for life especially the Buddhists who must refrain all evil deeds. Every religion must take beliefs as basic doctrine. Confidence or faith refers to strong trust behavior of decision making. The one with right confidence strictly follows to the teachings of his religion with reason and wisdom for living in all condition, in which it later brings benefits to both oneself and the public. Buddhist confidence involves with the right belief in merit and demerit, rebirth, impermanence and non-revenge, equality of mankind. Anywhere, the problem that makes Buddhists not to understand the true teachings of the confidence in Buddhist sense is that Buddhists assume that the Buddha taught to believe in his teachings without doubts, and also, all the teachings recorded in the Tipitaka texts are the true teachings of the Buddha, this is misunderstanding but faith according to Buddhist sense. The Buddha taught not to believe without logical thought. As a result, Buddhists realize the importance of self-confidence. There are four kinds of confidence in Buddhists: Kammasaddhā or belief in action, the law of actions, Vipākasaddhā or belief in the law of action’s fruits surely gained, Kammasakatāsaddhā or believing that everyone has their own actions and its fruits, one appears as what he has done, and Tathāgatabodhisaddhā or confidence of the Buddha’s enlightenment.