The Door of Faith
如何進入菩薩信心之門？
首先要皈信三寶，經常憶念佛法，精勤修學、慈悲喜捨、嚴持戒律，修習禪定、誦讀般若，護念正見、發大願心，不失信念、回向法界。
《華嚴經》云：「信為功德之母，長養一切諸善法，斷除疑網出愛流，開示涅槃無上道。」
信為入道之門，菩薩五十二位階中，以十信位為首，而修習正信不退，十信位之要務即：
1.信心 2.念心 3.進心 4.戒心5.定心
6.慧心 7.護心 8.願心9.不退心10.回向心。
菩薩以上求下化，作為不退菩提。以所積聚的善法功德，普為一切眾生息滅諸苦。歷經一大阿僧衹劫，方能完成四不壞信。在此漫長的修行階段，必須要自我精進，自我要求、策勵、印證。
經云：大眾人等，修行欲證無上覺，依信根菩提心，堅固如山王、大悲遍十方，不依二邊智，修持此教法，獲得無上清淨圓滿菩提。
資料來源：心靈甘露(四)，隆門圓通法師著。英文翻譯：張惠平。
The Door of Faith
How do we enter the Bodhisattva’s door of faith? First, we have to take refuge in the Three Treasures, and then be mindful of Buddhas oftentimes, cultivate diligently, be compassionate and discard unnecessary things with joy, strictly uphold precepts, practice Samadhi, recite Prajñāpāramitā sutra, guard the right intentions, make great vows, retain our faith, and turn toward the dharma realm.
Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra states that faith is the mother of all merits, can breed all good dharmas, can sever doubts and bring one out of the flow of love and desire, and can expound the supreme path of Nirvana.
Faith is the door to principles. The 52 ranks of Bodhisattvas who cultivate the right faith without regressing are headed by the ten faith ranks, which are confidence, mindfulness, progressiveness, alertness, stability, wisdom, guarding, vows, non-regression, and transference.
Bodhisattvas regard seeking Buddhist principles and delivering sentient beings as the non-regression Bodhi. Also, they help sever the sufferings of living beings with their accumulated good dharmas and merits. It takes one asāṃkhya kalpa for them to complete the catudhammapariyāyaṃ (four unspoiled beliefs: belief in the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and precepts). During such a long cultivation, they have to be diligent and self-restrained, encourage themselves to make progress, and verify.
The sutra goes, “Those who want to confirm anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi have to rely on the root of faith and the Bodhi mind, be as firm as the Mountain King, and universally compassionate. If they cultivate this doctrine without relying on the wisdom of the two sides, they will attain the pure, supreme, and replete Bodhi.”
Source: Sweet Dew for the Soul (Vol. IV), Written by Master Shih Longmen Yuantong. Translated by Huei Ping Chang.