Confidence

Name: Confidence
ISBN: 9787100202312

圣凯The Commercial Press · ChinaAug 2022

3.6

Word count: 82K words
Chapters: 50
ISBN: 9787100202312

Report an error Find this book

Summary

This book is one volume in the Prajna-Dhyana Heartfelt Words series under the Prajna-Dhyana Library. The series collects philosophical essays written by Professor Sheng Kai over the years. Faithful Heart is a collection of philosophical reflections written by Professor Sheng Kai between 2007 and 2012. The book is divided into seven parts: "Existence," "Affliction," "Cultivation," "Liberation," "Buddhism," "Society and Culture," and "Practitioner." It includes the author's explorations and reflections on concepts such as "meaning" and "freedom," as well as his insights into and self-examination of daily life topics such as "society" and "reading." The most important essays include "Together—A Journey Through Indian Civilization," "Reflections on a Chan Seven Retreat," and "Approaching Mr. Ji Xianlin." They combine a broad historical perspective with profound historical reflection and sincere emotional expression.

Editor's review

Master Sheng Kai's Faithful Heart is not a simple book of Buddhist spiritual comfort, but a rigorous Buddhist treatise grounded in the "Xianshou Chapter" of the Avatamsaka Sutra. With deep scholarly credentials—holding a PhD in philosophy from Tsinghua University and serving as vice president of the Buddhist Association of China—the author systematically deconstructs the abstract concept of "faith" within the Huayan philosophical system. The book's core value lies in moving beyond a shallow reading of "positive attitude" in the worldly sense and exploring in depth the complete structure of Buddhist "faith": faith in oneself, faith in others (the Buddha), faith in cause, faith in effect, faith in phenomena, and faith in principle. This sixfold analysis elevates "faith" from a vague emotional state to a guide for life practice with philosophical depth and stages of cultivation.

The book's distinctive feature is its approach of "harmonizing principle and phenomena." Master Sheng Kai explains the philosophical foundation of faith and Huayan doctrine from the perspective of "principle," and also combines modern people's psychological difficulties, life pressures, and loss of meaning from the perspective of "phenomena," offering practical methods of contemplation and mental training. For example, the book explains in detail how to transform "reverent faith" in the Three Jewels into "realized faith" in the Buddha-nature inherent in life. This transformative process is precisely the key for modern people to build a stable spiritual core. Compared with the many self-help books on the market, this book's depth and systematicity make it more like a "map of the mind," offering a clear and substantial path for readers seeking stability amid noise and wishing to find grounding amid change.

Reading this book requires some patience and thought, but its rewards are profound. It can not only help readers establish right faith in a Buddhist context; its wisdom on trust, conviction, and the generation of inner strength is also broadly applicable to any seeker pursuing the foundations of life and spiritual transcendence.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a deep interest in Buddhist philosophy, especially Huayan thought
Practitioners or seekers who feel confused about faith or the meaning of life and hope for systematic spiritual guidance
Readers who enjoy thinking about how abstract philosophical ideas connect with real-life practice
Professionals in psychological counseling and humanistic education who wish to draw on Eastern wisdom

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting simple, quick spiritual comfort or emotional palliatives
Readers completely unfamiliar with basic Buddhist terms and doctrine who lack the patience to read scholarly exposition

Reading tips

It is recommended to read the preface and first chapter first to grasp the book's sixfold framework of "faith," then go deeper into later chapters
It may be read alongside relevant chapters or introductions to the Avatamsaka Sutra to better understand its doctrinal background
For the contemplation and mental-training sections, it is advisable to slow down and practice while reading rather than finishing the book in one sitting

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.

版权信息
总序
存在篇
存在
缘
业
无常
无我
死亡
苦
烦恼篇
烦恼
孤独
修道篇
爱
布施
精进
报恩
反思
接受
惜缘
理想
当下
正念
信仰
智慧
学佛
修道
禅
禅七随感
马祖悟道之歌
解脱篇
意义
自由
幸福
解脱
佛教篇
佛教
弘法
新加坡双林寺今昔的感思
社会文化篇
社会
读书
教学——师者生命的呈现
文化
管理
末日论
行者篇
同在——体验印度文明的旅途
走近季羡林老先生

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no Buddhist background at all?

The book has a certain threshold. The author assumes readers have a preliminary understanding of basic Buddhist concepts such as the Three Jewels and cause and effect. Without such a foundation, it is advisable to read some introductory Buddhist works first, or to read patiently with reference materials at hand; its core ideas still have broadly inspiring value.

How is this book fundamentally different from ordinary books on "building self-confidence"?

The fundamental difference lies in the starting point. Secular confidence-building is mostly based on self-affirmation and improving abilities; the "faith" in this book is rooted in realizing and trusting the true nature of life (Buddha-nature), and through deep faith in the Three Jewels, cause and effect, and phenomena and principle, it transcends attachment to the "small self," thereby giving rise to truly unshakable inner strength.

Is the content too theoretical to apply in daily life?

Not at all. Master Sheng Kai is skilled at guiding practice through doctrinal study. The explanation of each philosophical concept in the book ultimately points to concrete changes in mental practice and methods of contemplation. For example, it transforms "faith in phenomena and principle" into equanimity and insight when facing favorable or adverse circumstances. The key lies in whether the reader is willing to turn reading into introspective practice.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

圣凯 Author

Sheng Kai is an author about whom limited public information is available. It is known that three works appear under this name: Nian Xin (Expanded Edition), Ding Xin, and Xin Xin. Judging from the titles and their common categories, these works fall mainly under Eastern philosophy and prose miscellany, forming a writing thread centered on the theme of "heart" or "mind," and appear to explore spiritual matters such as mindfulness, inner calm, and faith. The writing combines philosophical reflection with the tone of personal essays, suiting readers interested in Eastern thought and spiritual cultivation. Because details of birth and death dates, nationality, education, and personal experience are unrecorded, the author's biography remains unclear, and the present introduction can only address the subjects and style of the works. Overall, Sheng Kai's writing is characterized by concise titles and themes close to the inner life, creating a personal expression where Eastern philosophy and prose meet, and readers may appreciate its thought and style through the texts themselves.