Great Faith, like the other conditions, is deeply related to what I describe as going from a "small" sense of self to a "large" sense of self and finally to a state of "no-self." Great Faith starts with faith in oneself-you first have to affirm the very narrow sense of self. After all, who is it that must have faith? It is "I" who must have faith. So you must start with grasping the narrow sense of self. You must know this self in a very clear and solid manner and be confident that you can practice. This grasping of one's "small self" is the basis of the power of faith.

The second aspect of faith is faith in the method. I often encourage my students with a Chinese saying: "Once you're on a pirate ship, the best thing to do is become a pirate." You have no choice, because if you are trapped on a pirate ship, and you don't join them, you will probably be killed on the spot. If you join them, you may survive. So once you have accepted the method, you should believe in it, and practice in a single-minded, concentrated manner. You should know that this method was taught by Sakyamuni Buddha. Since he was a Buddha, the original patriarch of Buddhism, and a great human being, he would not teach us a false method. Though you may not have gotten any benefit yet, you still should have faith in it.