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 Why Take Refuge in the Three Jewels
Some people think, ¡§As long as we have sincere faith in the Buddha, what do we have to take refuge for?¡¨ This sounds reasonable at first , but actually it is unwarrant able . Consider the example of students going to school. S tudents have to enroll first , otherwise the school will not have any record of them ; and even if they attend classes they won't have any certificate to show for it. Normally, a student has to follow the curriculum and move gradually through the course of study. So, taking refuge in the Three Jewels is a bit like enrolling in a school . The subsequent stages of a Buddhist's ¡§course of study¡¨ is then marked by receiving different levels of precepts. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the foundation. All the sets of precepts one can move on to take¡Xthe five precepts, the eight precepts, the ten precepts, the monastic precepts, and the bodhisattva precepts are all based on this foundation. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the first step on the Buddhist path.
There are also some people who think that they can just go straight to the sutras to find the path to Buddhahood , so there's no need to take refuge; they can do it all on their own . This seems acceptable in theory ; h owever, in terms of the procedures required on the Buddhist Path , it is mistaken. The sutras that were taught by the Buddha (and in some cases by the Buddha's disciples) have been collected and preserved in books for future generations by members of the Sangha. If one attends only to the sutras and neglects the Buddha who preached them , and the Sangha who transmitted and preserved them, it amounts to taking refuge only in the Dharma. Although the Dharma is central to Buddhism¡Xthe path to liberation flows out from the Dharma ¡X the Dharma relies on the Buddha and the Sangha to make it complete . Thus the Three Jewels cannot be separated.
Taking refuge is a matter of formal procedure, but still more of mind and spirit. When taking refuge, you don't simply chant with your mouth, and prostrate with your body; your mind must also be engaged. The main thing to do is to receive with your mind ¡X that's how you receive the ¡§ precept essence ¡¨ of the refuges. This precept essence must be received from someone who has received it himself. It is passed down through a series of teachers, a Dharma lineage. Ordinary people cannot , without a teacher, attain realization or penetrate the teachings on their own . Hence, they can't simply take refuge on their own in front of a Buddha or bodhisattva image . From this we can see the solemnity and importance of taking the Three Refuges.
There are other people who are well-disposed toward Buddhism, but don't want to go ahead and take the refuges right away. They are afraid that they will be subject to restrictions and won't be able to ba ck ou t of it, so they take a wait-and-see attitude. They think taking refuge is like getting married. If people don't really know each other that well yet , they don't dare jump into a marriage recklessly , lest they suffer from being stuck in a bad marriage for the rest of their life . In fact, taking refuge in the Three Jewels is totally different from getting married. For instance, when we want to learn a skill, we all need a teacher. The good point of following a teacher is to gain the fruits of his learning and the specialty he developed. Our teacher learned from his teachers , who learned from their teachers, so in the person of our teacher we receive generations and generations of experience. But when learning a skill, one can learn it without putting it to use. One might feel one's interests have changed and stop studying. After one's studies are complete, one could continue to follow the same teacher to the end, but couldn't one also leave and strike out on one's own ? Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is similar to following a teacher to learn a skill. If you want to understand Buddhism better, then you should begin by taking refuge. Buddhism is actually a path of liberation, not a cage to confine us . If one was constrained after taking refuge, it could not really be called a path to liberation. Certainly, Buddhists wish f o r everyone t o take refuge in the Three Jewels and thereafter to continue on the path to Buddhahood. But if someone can't accept the wondrous truths of Buddhism and practice accordingly due to their own capacities and inclinations, they could turn to another religion, or no religion at all. The remarkable thing is that, even though they may leave, the compassionate gate of Buddhism is always open and they will always be welcomed back.
Consequently, I would encourage all aspirants to take refuge in the Three Jewels. Whether you already consider yourself a Buddhist, or you want to become a Buddhist, or you are just looking into Buddhism , or even if you are a member of another religion, there's no harm i n lay ing down your preconceptions and established beliefs and try ing to take refuge in the Three Jewels. All can benefit from Buddhism and no one will lose their liberty. If you truly take the T hree R efuges , unless you are hoodwinked and led astray, you will not want to give up the Three Jewels you have received.
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What Does Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels Mean?
The Chinese term for taking refuge, ¡§guiyi,¡¨ literally means ¡§to retur n, rely on , and trust .¡¨ Any act of return, reliance, or trust can be called ¡§guiyi¡¨; the term is no t limited to Buddhism. So, children count on their parents, students on their teachers, entrepreneurs on their budget s, subordinates on their superiors , fatalists on f ate , tyrants on their militar y , politicians on their shrewdness , and the avaricious on their property. All of these carry some of the sense of ¡§taking refuge.¡¨ In other words, any situation where one derives strength from f ait h c ould be considered ¡§taking refuge.¡¨ However, having faith or reliance that is not thorough-going, solid , and dependable cannot be considered ¡§taking refuge ¡¨ in the truest sense of the word.
For instance, if there were a flood, we could climb to the tops of trees, onto the roofs of houses, or walk up hills. But once the flood is raging, the rainstorm becomes even more violent , and the water level rises higher and higher , then trees will fall , houses will collapse, and hills will be swallowed. Under such conditions, shouldn't we take refuge in a lofty mountain in the vicinity . From the Buddhist point of view, other religions, even the loftiest, are like trees, houses, and hills. Their highest ideal goes no further than heaven. But Buddhism teaches that even if we are born in the highest heaven, we have still not escaped samsara, the wheel of rebirth. One lives much longer in heaven than on earth, but one's lifespan there is still limited. When one's store of merit is exhausted, one falls again into lower realms. Thus heaven is ultimately not a reliable refuge. Only taking refuge in Buddhism can help us gradually make progress on the path of ultimate liberation that takes us from suffering to happiness. And the entirety of Buddhism is the T hree J e wels¡Xthe Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
How is it that the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha are called j ewels? Because they are a source of limitless merit and act in wondrous ways endlessly to aid sentient beings . They are limitless, inexhaustible, and immeasurable. The world calls diamonds and rubies jewels because they fetch a high price and are of great use. But the Three Jewels ' merit and wondrous, sa lvi fic ac tiv ity suit the needs of this world and transcend it as well . Thus they are even more worthy to be called jewels. The transforming guidance of the Three Jewels helps people to lead peaceful lives in the world, and more important, to transcend suffering and attain happiness in the world . So the Three Jewels are precious beyond any precious stones ; they are the supreme jewels. The T hree J ewels refers to: the Buddha, the one who has awakened himself , awakens others , and is fully awakened ; the Dharma, the teaching that allows sentient beings to recognize and never lose sight of their own nature; and the Sangha, the harmonious community of practitioners , who get along well in terms of their views and actions .
Since the death of Shakyamuni Buddha , the Sangha has maintained and sustained places for practice . It has preserved the Buddhist scriptures. It has spread Buddhist culture. It has led new believers into the religion. Among the Three Jewels, although the Buddha is given the highest esteem and admiration and the Dharma is exalted and supreme, it is the Sangha that plays the most important role. Thus, during his life, the Buddha was the pivot of the Buddhist community. Since his death, the Sangha has stood at the core . So in our day, if you believe in Buddhism, you need to rely on the Sangha for guidance ; in reverencing the Three Jewels , you should bear the Sangha in mind .
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The Approaches to Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
We should take refuge in the Three Jewels once we have a basic understanding of their meaning . As to the rite of taking refuge, in the Buddha's day, people who took refuge were of superior capacity and merit , so there was no need to be particular about the formalities. For instance, the Buddha's first lay disciple, Yashas' father , said before the Buddha, ¡§I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha . May the World-Honored One allow me to become a lay follower. ¡¨ That was all it took .
Actually, before the Buddha ord ai ned his first five monks, there was no jewel of the Sangha. Nevertheless when the Buddha co nve rted two merchants and the Naga King, he still had them take refuge in the Three Jewels, including the Sangha that had yet to be. The T hree J ewels are an integral whole . To take refuge in only the Buddha and Dharma, but not the Sangha, is not to take refuge.
The formula , or ritual words, repeated in the ceremony , which we should become familiar with before taking refuge, are really very simple. People taking refuge should repeat after their Master line by line. However, if they don't know what they've said because they cannot make out what the Master is saying, or because of nervousness, their refuge taking cannot be taken as valid .
Hereunder is the formula to be repeated in the refuge-taking ceremony:
For my whole life, I _________ (Dharma or full name),
t ake refuge in the Buddha,
I take refuge in the Dharma,
I take refuge in the Sangha. (Repeat three times)
I have taken refuge in the Buddha,
I have taken refuge in the Dharma,
I have taken refuge in the Sangha. (Repeat three times) The first three are taking the refuges proper; the second three serve to conclude the formula. The crucial moment in taking refuge is the moment when you're taking the refuges proper, which is also the moment when you receive the unc ondi tioned precept essence of the refuges . At that moment, it is best to do a kind of visualization: the first time you repeat the ritual words for taking the refuges proper , due to the merit of your aspiration, you feel the great earth in all the worlds of the ten directions quake , and see clouds of merit gradually rise up in all the worlds of the ten directions. The second time, the clouds of merit that have risen up gradually gather in the air above your head, forming a canopy . The third time, the canopy of the clouds of merit take s the shape of a funnel that gradually streams into the opening at the top of your head, filling your body and mind ; the clouds of merit then expand outward, causing your body and mind to expan d, and to pervade all the worlds in the ten directions. At this moment, when you have receive d the precept essence, your body and mind , like the merit of the precept essence, become as vast as the universe. Try to imagine: how sacred and magnificent it is to take refuge like this!
However, if you have difficult y v isualizing, at the minimum you must listen attentively to the ritual words to be recited in taking refuge and repeat them clearly. Half-hearted sloppiness is utterly unacceptable. Venerable Master Hongyi made a very earnest remark about this: ¡§ Lay or monastic, when taking the refuges, two things are important: first, to attend to the meanings of taking refuge in the Three Jewels; second, to fully understand what one's m aster is saying. If one does not understand the classical language used, then the refuges have not really been taken at all . If one cannot hear because the m aster is too far away, the refuges have not been taken either. If one basically understands, but still has doubts about a few points, the refuges have not been taken. When taking the refuges proper, that is, when doing the three repetitions of ¡¥ I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha ,' one should be fully attentive. This is critical. The second and concluding part, ¡¥ I have taken refuge in the Buddha, I have taken refuge in the Dharma, I have taken refuge in the Sangha, ' is not that important . So when you form the aspiration to take the refuges, you should first learn their meaning and clearly understand it . And when taking the refuge s proper , you must attend carefully to the three repetitions of the for m ula. Only then are the refuges truly taken . ¡¨
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The Benefits of Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels There are many benefits of taking refuge in the Three Jewels: happiness in this life, happiness in the next, and more important the ultimate happiness found in the quiescence of nirvana. T he se benefits can be grouped into eight categories
- Becoming a follower of the Buddha
- Laying the foundation for taking the precepts
- Reducing karmic hindrances
- Accumulating great merit
- Avoiding rebirths in miserable planes of existence
- Preventing humans and non-humans from perturbing you
- Bringing good endeavors to successful completion
- Attaining Buddhahood.
Moreover, the Buddha also mentioned once that if we take refuge in the Three Jewels, the F our Deva Kings would dispatch thirty-six virtuous deities to protect us from evil and free us from fear wherever we go . The ¡§Sutra of the Dharani Protecting Those Who Have Taken the Three Refuges and Five Precepts ¡¨ adds that these thirty-six are f ollowed by innumerable hosts of lesser spirits and deities who take turns protecting those who have taken the Three R efuges.
However, we should understand: though taking refuge in the Three Jewels can bring us peace and happiness in this life, the ultimate purpose is to return to the Three Jewels' embrace , and eventually become one of them ourselves . Everyone can achieve Buddhahood; never give yourself up as hopeless. Top
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