Taking Refuge

Taking Refuge

Excerpted from:

"The Beautiful Ornament of the Three Visions"

REFUGE

The meditation to be practiced is said to consist of the preparation through seeking refuge and offering prayers, the main meditation on one's chosen object, and the completion through sharing merit and recollection. According to this arrangement, the preparation and completion should be added at the beginning and the end of all the sessions of meditation described in this series. Though refuge is usually considered to be the preparation, here at the time of explaining refuge itself, it will be treated as the main meditation and a detailed description of its parts will be given. Refuge is said to consist of five topics:

(A) Cause, (B) Object, (C) Procedure, (D) Benefit, (E) Precepts

The Cause of Taking Refuge

To begin, the three causes of seeking refuge are fear, faith, and compassion. Seeking refuge through fear means that, being alarmed by the miseries of worldly existence experienced by others or oneself, one seeks refuge from them. As it was said in the sPyod.'jug (Bodhicaryavatara),

Formerly I disobeyed your words but now,
having seen great terror, in dismay I
seek refuge in you. Quickly dispel my fears.

One undertakes to rely upon this refuge, which completely saves oneself and all others who are afflicted by the suffering of worldly existence. Seeking refuge through faith means that in seeking refuge one is motivated by any of the three kinds of faith. Faith of clear appreciation signifies that one discerns clearly the value of refuge, which has the ability to shield one from those fears of suffering; faith of aspiration signifies that one wishes to attain the stage of refuge itself; and faith of confidence means that one trusts in the profound teaching of interdependent origination. Seeking refuge through compassion refers to a person who has awakened into the Mahayana race. Being moved by unbearable compassion for others who are afflicted by sufferings, which one infers from one's own sufferings, one seeks refuge in order to shelter them entirely. In brief, it is most important to seek refuge with a clear recollection of the causes just described, for the action of taking refuge without reflection does not achieve any merit. As it was said in the sPyod.'jug (Bodhicaryavatara),

The Omniscient One has taught that, though
they be practiced for a long time, all
repetitions of austerities and mantras
are useless if the mind be distracted elsewhere.

The Object of Taking Refuge

There are many different views concerning the object of refuge, due both to variance between the Mahayana and Hinyana themselves. Here the object -- the place of refuge -- is the Master and his lineage of Preceptors who have revealed to one the transcendentally exalted path. The Jewel of the Enlightened One, the Buddha, is the one who has accomplished the Body of Reality (Dharmakaya), which is the most excellent condition for one's own self and which is endowed with every kind of virtue and free from every kind of imperfection. Further, the Enlightened One attained the Form Body (Rupakaya), which accomplishes the excellent condition in order to benefit others and which acts solely for the welfare of beings for as long as worldly existence lasts. The Jewel of Teaching, the Dharma, is the precepts, which consist of (i) the doctrine of the three collections of scripture, or the twelve categories of the Enlightened One's speech; and (ii) the realization, which consists of the three trainings or the two aspects of cessation and the path. The Jewel of Assembly, the Sangha, comprises the noble ones who dwell on the stages of irreversibility and those ordinary beings who have entered the doctrine prior to oneself.

The Procedure for Taking Refuge

Having prostrated, worshipped, and made offerings before the Preceptors and image of the Three Jewels as described above, be seated on a comfortable cushion in the meditative posture. Visualize that one's Preceptors, the Buddhas, and their spiritual sons, the Bodhisattvas, are all actually present and seated in the space in front of oneself. Next, imagine that oneself, one's friends, and all living beings in the six realms of existence ranging throughout space are assembled in front of the holy ones. These beings all experience their devotion by bodily clasping their palms, by vocally reciting the formula of refuge, and by mentally arousing intense faith and devotion. Consider the significance of this act of taking refuge by thinking, "Throughout a multitude of former lifetimes, I did not act in accordance with the words of spiritual friends. By not holding to the Three Jewels as my refuge, I had become terribly distressed by many sufferings in worldly existence. Now, indeed, no matter what befalls me, whether good or evil, I shall rely upon the compassion of my Preceptors and the Three Jewels as my guide until I have attained enlightenment, confidently trusting in the Three Jewels and earnestly wishing for their help." Hold the mind in single-pointed devotion to one's Preceptors and the Enlightened One as the illuminators who will show one the path of total liberation; to the teaching as the actual path itself; and to the assembly as one's helpers who assist one in completing that path. Then pray:

May the Preceptors and the Three Jewels see to
it that all actions of body, speech, and mind of all beings
and myself be directed along the path of enlightenment.

Just as oneself takes refuge, so visualize that all beings throughout space are taking refuge the same way, and perform the fourfold refuge many times with heartfelt sincerity. Finally, prostrate and go for refuge in the Preceptors and Three Precious Jewels, and request their blessings by reciting:

Please bestow your blessings upon me in all my lifetimes;
bless me that my mind may become attuned to the teachings;
bless me that I may traverse the path;
bless me that errors on the path may be allayed;
bless me that illusions may appear to me as transcendental wisdom;
bless me that irreligious thoughts may not arise within my mind even for a single moment;
bless me that uncontrived love, compassion and aspiration to enlightenment may be aroused;
and bless me that I may quickly attain the state omniscience, perfect enlightenment.

If one wishes to recite the refuge in verse form, then:

In the most holy Preceptor who is the essence
of the qualities and deeds of the body, voice,
and mind of all the Tathagatas abiding in the
ten directions and three times, the source of
the eighty-four thousand teachings of the
Doctrine and the Master of all the noble
assemblies, I and all sentient beings equal
to the ends of space from this time forth
until the essence of enlightenment is reached
steadfastly:

With great devotion of body, voice, and mind
we take refuge in the holy root and lineage Preceptors;
With great devotion of body, voice, and mind
we take refuge in the Enlightened Ones, the teachers, who
have reached the end of renunciation and realization;
With great devotion of body, voice, and mind
we take refuge in the holy Doctrine, the teaching,
which is the essence of the precepts and realizations;
With great devotion of body, voice, and mind
we take refuge in the Noble Assembly of holy beings,
the Bodhisattvas, who uphold the teaching.

Thus recite this as many times as one can. Then recite the following prayer three times or more:

We prostrate and take refuge in the most excellent Preceptor
and Three Jewels. Please bestow your blessings upon the
body, voice, and mind of myself and all living beings;
bless us that our minds may become attuned to the Dharma;
bless us that we may traverse the path of religion;
bless us that the way may be cleared of all errors;
bless us that the illusory visions may appear as transcendental wisdom;
bless us that irreligious thoughts may never arise;
bless us to accomplish the two kinds of enlightenment thought;
bless us quickly to attain Buddhahood.

For a short while, in the manner of meditating and visualizing, think further that due to one's prayer the objects of refuge "see me through the transcendental wisdom of omniscience, heed me through the compassion of love, cherish me through the activities of transcendental deeds, protect me through the power of shielding, and bless and keep watch over me." The conclusion of the procedure is to direct the merit one has earned through the taking of refuge for the enlightenment of all beings and to be mindful. When one rises from the session of meditation, reflect, "In this way, by whatever merit I have accumulated, may my parents and all other beings attain the state of enlightenment that accomplishes the well-being of oneself and others."

The following verse, written by the Master Nagarjuna, and any other prayers of dedication one knows may also be recited:

Through this virtue may all beings accomplish
the accumulation of merit and wisdom;
May they attain the two holy bodies
which arise from wisdom and merit.

In each interval between sessions, one should remember the excellent qualities of the Three Jewels and the mindful aspiration to follow them through not abandoning their recollection One should refrain from acting contrary to the precepts of taking refuge. Since it was taught that all those virtues are useless which are acquired by a person who lacks alertness and mindfulness, it is important always to maintain them. As it was said in the sPyod.'jug (Bodhicaryavatara),

As if they had been snatched away by thieves,
the merits one has gathered are lost by the
thief of non-alertness who follows after impaired
mindfulness, and so one goes to the lower states.

Thus anyone who wishes to maintain the training that has been undertaken should diligently guard one's mind. Again, the sPyod.'jug (Bodhicaryavatara) advises:

A person who wishes to guard the discipline
should guard his mind with great care,
for if the mind be unprotected,
he also cannot protect the training.

The Benefit of Taking Refuge

The benefits of taking the refuge are said to be limitless, such as being the cause which gives rise to all the vows, and so on. In a sutra it is taught:

If this merit of taking refuge and
praying had a form, even the entire
space would be too small to hold it.

So, endowed with special joy, one should reflect in the following way: "In brief, in all the worlds of the gods and others, there is no other deity which is a refuge more excellent than that of the Three Jewels and, starting from today, I have gained them as my protectors. Gaining them is the best of all gains."

The Precepts of Taking Refuge

If worldlings try to behave themselves in order to please their rulers and refrain from infringing upon any number of rules laid down by officials, who merely help them to accomplish worldly aims, how much more so then should one never act against the precepts taught by the Three Jewels, who are the masters that help one to achieve incomparable awakening. One should certainly think in this way.

Precepts which are common to all three of the Jewels consist of injunctions that one should associate with holy persons and the like. The individual precepts for each of the Three Jewels are:

Having taken refuge in the Enlightened One, one should not pay homage to worldly deities.
Having taken refuge in the teaching, one must give up all acts of harm and mischief toward other living beings.
Having taken refuge in the Assembly, one should not associate with heretical friends.

Moreover, one should not forsake the Jewels even for the sake of one's life, and certainly not for rewards. No matter what illness or pain may occur, one must not give up the Three Jewels.

When rising and retiring, one should prostrate to a shrine of the Three Jewels. When eating, one should do in accordance with the words of the Master Atisha:

Divide the food into four shares; offer the
first part of pure sustenance to the deities
(Three Jewels); then to the protectors and
guardians of the teaching offer ceremonial cakes;
oneself should eat and drink (a share), and
the remains of that should be given to all spirits.

In this manner, with the portion of food one has reserved for offering, offer a share to each of the Preceptors, patron deities, the Three Jewels, guardians of the teaching, and wealth deities. To uphold the words of the Enlightened One, present some to Hariti and her children, and to the spirits who have a right to receive offerings. As it was taught in the sPyod.'jug (Bodhicaryavatara),

This human body is only meant for service.

Eating should be moderated by reflecting, "I nourish this body with food that is in harmony with the teachings in order to employ it in virtuous acts." Whatever remainder of food there may be should then be dedicated to the remaining spirits who have a right to receive it. The sPyod.'jug (Bodhicaryavatara) advises:

Food should be divided among those who
are destitute, those who are protectorless,
and those meditators engaged
in the practice of austerities.

In this way, one should actually give to the poor, the unprotected, and the practitioners, thinking, "May this virtue become the cause of benefit and happiness for beings now and permanently." Even with such small precepts, one should train oneself in acting accordingly to the instructions on the dedications of merit, prayers for one's own and others' benefit, and the like. In every activity, whether great or small, one should perform it by relying upon the Three Jewels. Never think, "Even though I have confidence in the Three Jewels, it is not really certain that this work will be accomplished." Instead, one should know that the Enlightened One is surely able to protect those who surrender and act in accord with his words, because the Enlightened One is endowed with the transcendental wisdom which knows all the paths of practice that are in harmony with the intelligence and nature of all living beings, because he has the compassionate desire to establish his disciples on the right path after turning them from wrong ways, and because he has accomplished the two accumulations of merit and transcendental wisdom and has accomplished the resolve to help beings. So even though one has not yet attained liberation from worldly existence, it is one's fault for not having trusted and not having acted in accord with the words of the Three Jewels, not because the Three Jewels have no compassion. Therefore, as the mNgon.rtogs rgyan (Abhisamaya Alankara) says,

Just as spoiled seeds do not sprout even
though the king of gods may make rain,
so the unfortunate may not experience wholesomeness
although the Enlightened One has come. And the sPyod.'jug, (Bodhicaryavatara) also narrates:

If, from today, I make no effort I shall sink lower and lower;
though countless Buddhas have passed by who are
the benefactors of all living beings, I did not come within
the range of their salvation because of my own flaws.

In brief, those who do not entrust themselves to the Precious Jewels, who are arrogant and who assume they are intelligent have no certainty in accomplishing their schemes. Even if they are accomplished, it is not certain whether those schemes will turn out well in the long run. So it is important to entrust oneself always to the Precious Jewels. The three collections of scripture, or Tripitaka, are the collections of moral discipline (vinaya), discourses (sutra), and higher philosophy (abhidharma). The twelve categories of the Buddha's speech are: prose, mixed prose and verse, exposition, verse, solemn utterances, introductory literature, legends, life histories, birth stories, extensive explanations, marvelous phenomena, and instructions.

The three trainings are moral conduct, transic absorption, and wisdom. <back>

The two kinds of enlightenment thought are the relative and ultimate enlightenment thoughts, which are described later this series. <back>

Hariti was a demoness who terrorized a village by eating the children. The Buddha subdued her and promised that he and his monks would always dedicate a share of their food to her so that she could feed herself and her own children and would thus have no need to steal and eat others' children. <back>