saddha

saddha, in Buddhism, the religious disposition of a Buddhist.

The Theravada branch of Buddhism, which claims to adhere most closely to the teachings of the historical Buddha, does not rely upon supernatural authority or the word of the Buddha. Rather, it claims that all of its teachings can be experientially verified. Saddha indicates one’s provisional acceptance of the Buddha’s teachings (dharma) as one enters onto the Eightfold Path (the system of spiritual progress). That trust in the Buddha and his teachings is later confirmed by direct experience and the growth of right understanding.

Some schools of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism consider shraddha (as the term is spelled in Sanskrit, the primary liturgical language of Mahayana Buddhism) to be more akin to faith than to trust, as it is the most appropriate way for individuals to achieve the insight that is needed for liberation (moksha) from death and rebirth (samsara) in what these schools consider the present unenlightened age. Among Pure Land groups, for example, sincere invocation of the name of the Buddha Amitabha is sufficient to ensure rebirth in his Western Paradise (Sukhavati).