If we do not trust in the power of our meditation to heal, its strength and energy will be weak. Belief gives the meditation a firm foundation; it engages the mind in a way that is effective and total. This is not blind faith, but a faith and trust based on knowledge that the healing power of mind can be fully called forth with the help of images, words, and feelings. We need to believe that we actually can improve our lives in this way. Even if meditation moves us one step forward, we can fall right back if we are always harboring doubts in our minds.
Intellectual and material-minded people like ourselves can find it hard to trust and believe in anything. We need to remember that the mind is a powerful source of healing and that the purpose of healing meditation is to awaken our inner resources. We need to rely on the help of mental objects and believe in the power of the mind.
If we tend to be skeptical of everything and say, "How can I believe this will make me feel better?" it will be best to simply suspend such judgments. Even if it is only for the duration of the meditation, we should give ourselves completely to feeling and belief. Our intellects can get in the way by fighting and struggling. We may just need to take a leap into a trusting attitude.
Excerpted from: Boundless Healing, Tulku Thondup, Shambhala Publications