Faith, Trust, or Confidence: What Does Buddhism Actually Require?

Speaker: Reverend Jikai (Online from the Hawkesbury Region, NSW)

15 June 2026 | 7.00-8.30pm AEST

Location: Online (Zoom link below)

Cost: Free

In contemporary Western Buddhist circles, it is regrettably not uncommon to hear “faith” being marginalised from the discussion. At the stronger end of the spectrum, it is sometimes maligned as “a blind adherence to dogma” or “a commitment to cultural baggage”, and at the gentler end of the scale, it is written off as some kind of “an intellectual compromise”. Online, we’ve all been told that “Buddha-Dharma isn’t religious”, or that “Buddhism is a science, requiring no ‘trust’ whatsoever.” But when we encounter such appraisals, it is vitally important that we pause, and consider how it is that one might actually step onto a path of radical spiritual transformation like the Path of the Buddhas, if we were to rely solely on those of its elements which already conform to our understanding?

In this talk, Reverend Jikai will attempt to show the vital importance of the concept of ‘faith’ to the Buddha-Dharma, and demonstrate that it is not the end of enquiry, but its indispensable beginning. By re-framing faith as an active humility of “withholding disbelief”, the discussion will explore the overlapping terms which get translated into English as ‘faith’, and explore how these serve as the foundation for all study and practise of Buddha-Dharma more broadly. Join us, and learn how re-claiming this basis is crucial for crossing the threshold! 

About the speaker: Reverend Jikai 慈海 Tyler Dehn grew up Catholic, but became a Buddhist at the age of 15 during a year-long exchange in Toyama (富山県), Japan. During the week he would read whichever Buddhist sūtras he could get his hands on, and then on weekends he would ride his bicycle to various temples, attending services and asking many questions. After returning to Australia he contacted Reverend Jiryo 慈了Moxon who was running a small Tendai community in Brisbane, Australia. Though Jiryo Sensei and Jikai lived in very different parts of Australia, they managed to meet a few times a year and regularly made contact. Via Jiryo Sensei, Jikai was introduced to the late Archbishop Ara Ryokan 荒了寛大僧正 of the Hawaii Tendai Mission ハワイ天台別院 in Honolulu.

Shortly thereafter Jikai became a disciple of Ara Ryokan, who impressed upon him the importance of one’s“karmic connections”to the Buddha-Dharma. He took Ordination or Tokudo 得度 at the Tendai Hawaii Mission in Honolulu, and trained there under Venerable Ara’s direction. Finally, in 2015 Jikai was accepted to, and attended the Seminary Programme (known as ‘Gyoin’ 行院) on Mt Hiei 比叡山延暦寺, Japan.

After the completion of his training, Jikai moved to Tokyo, and worked at the Tendai Buddhist High School of Komagome Gakuen 駒込学園 for five years. During this time, he assisted at a number of temples, participated in seminars on behalf of the Tendai School, and translated various materials into English.

At the end of 2020 he returned to Australia, and now operates the Tendai Buddhist Sangha of Australia at Enmitsuji Temple (圓密寺) in the Hawkesbury Region, NSW. They offer weekly lessons on Tiantai/Tendai Teachings and instruction in meditation, chanting and making offerings. Reverend Jikai Dehn also holds a Master of Research Degree from Macquarie University, and has made it his life-long labour of love, to translate Buddhist sūtras and Tendai texts, in hopes that the seeds of the Buddha-Dharma may be firmly planted in the soils of the West.

Online event: Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive session in person at the Metta Centre or online by clicking on this link to access the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83506489824?pwd=cmpNQ1ljSmFVYURLWVN1dWllYUN1dz09

Meeting ID: 835 0648 9824| Passcode: 718905

Alternatively, you can dial in from your telephone (call charges apply): +61 2 8015 6011