Buddhist Belief – Taking Refuge
“One is one’s own protector, one is one’s own refuge. Therefore, one should control oneself, even as a trader controls a noble steed.”~~~ Buddha
A personal meditation practice is the foundation of Buddhist Belief, but do we need more? Essentially we make the journey alone, but many people find that committing themselves to the three jewels—Buddha, dharma, and sangha—helps take them further. These three make up the lineage, philosophy, and community of Buddhism, and their purpose is to deepen and expand our practice.
There are many reasons why people bring a practice of meditation into their daily lives. Some my see meditation as a way to bring a few moment of peace and calm into their busy days. Others may use meditation to take a break from a mind that is turbulent. We may begin to meditate to find a way to meet adversities with greater understanding and balance. We may be drawn to meditation through experiences of joy—glimpses of stillness, intimacy, and connectedness—that inspire us to question whether such moments could be more than just accidental encounters. Both sorrow and joy can bring us to a point where we acknowledge the urgency of finding ways to be more at peace with ourselves, to be kinder, and to be more present in all the moments of our life.
If we take our practice of meditation seriously and make it a part of our daily life, if we go to our cushion or chair every day and persevere through the ups and downs that are a part of any spiritual practice, we’ll begin to see how this practice does indeed show some excellent results. We’ll start to notice how our mind becomes more steady and therefore more accessible. We won’t be so inclined to be as reactive or judgmental. We’ll find ourselves being more sensitive, more mindful, which will lead to being more connected to the present moment. Hardships will still come our way but our ability to deal with them will be greatly enhanced.
Is this all we need to do? I think not. Rather, I believe this is the beginning of our spiritual journey.
As our practice deepens, our eyes open to possibilities beyond composure and balance. We open up to the possibility of an unshakable liberation, a timeless wisdom. We may be inspired to bind ourselves more deeply to the path and to those around us. It’s at this point where we begin to ask what it truly means to live a meditative life, and to see what more we could be doing to live a life of compassion and peace.
Well, Buddha took care of this — he taught about how we can find some additional support beyond our meditation practice. Buddhism offers us the three jewels. These are the Buddha, or other living embodiment of enlightenment; the dharma, the philosophy and teachings of Buddhism; and the sangha, the community of realized beings and of our fellow practitioners. As so many others have before us, we may decide to take refuge in the three jewels as a way of continuing to open to the deeper possibilities we have glimpsed. This is an important step on the journey and one we will repeat many times over. So what does it mean to take refuge and what do the three jewels really mean?
Taking Refuge
I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the dharma
I take refuge in the sangha
In monasteries — at meditation retreats — these three lines are chanted daily. When we take refuge, we find a new power which can help to open our eyes to the whole of Buddhist Belief rather than just the parts we find to be convenient.
“Taking refuge,” is a good translation of the original Pali. It literally refers to the act of returning to a place of sanctuary or shelter to find safety, peace, and protection: a child finds refuge in the arms of a loving parent; we find shelter from a storm beneath the branches of a tree; we return home to a caring relationship for sanctuary and peace.
The process of “taking refuge” is an inner understanding of what is true. It’s a commitment to going through life with an open heart, a clear mind and a willingness to live our lives with integrity, respect and compassion.
Taking refuge in the Buddha, we commit ourselves to our own capacity for freedom. Taking refuge in the dharma, we bring the path of awakening to life. Taking refuge in the sangha, we acknowledge our interconnectedness.
In the next posting we’ll go into more detail of the first of the three jewels, taking refuge in the Buddha.
Metta ….May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.
Namaste — Be in Peace.
Ron Rink
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Here’s another article to share with you. I don’t know how directly this ties in with what I wrote above, but it sure is an article I need to read to myself and learn to understand what the writer is trying to get across.
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While working last night on another blog post for the social media site, Mashable, I was perusing through past tweets of Evan Williams, Co-founder and CEO of Twitter, and I came across this one in response to a Twitter user with the username “brokedad.”
Ev wrote:
@brokedad I like your spirit, but I’m concerned about your name. How can you ever be not-broke if it’s part of your identity?
It’s true. How can we be anything outside of our identity?
Impact on Health Care Debate
As the health care debate has become increasingly contentious, it not only reveals how many differing views there are on this subject, but also how easily we get caught in our identities.
People are adamant, almost as if it were an election year, that the view of their party or political affiliation holds is correct. Yet instead of real dialogue of deep listening and understanding, discussions often end up becoming a clash of egos.
Once our identity sets in, no matter whether it is as a yogi, a democrat, or a Buddhist, like the ring in The Lord of Ring, it has one and only one task. In this case, it is consumed with finding ways to reinforce itself and to put down the views of those it sees as “other.” Of course, it is one thing to express an interest in a certain practice or belief, quite another to think that such beliefs or activities are who we are.
What News Do We Favor?
Some time back, there was an article on Huffington Post about a Mayor in Georgia who was arrested for nudity. The article, only 131 words, had little analysis, yet it got over 650 comments — a huge amount of compared to most articles.
I think it would be fair to guess that if it was a story of a former mayor who was a Democrat, it would have received significantly fewer comments, probably no more than a handful. Why?
Because negative news about the “other” (that which we view as countering our identity, who we think we are not) in this case Republicans, feeds our identity and ego. “Yeah,” we think (and often comment) “look how stupid they are and how right and just I am.”
If we think that who we are is our beliefs, then in any discussion our entire sense of self depends on the outcome; if we win, we think there is “more of us,” that we are better; and if we lose, we think that there is less of us, that who we are has been diminished or weakened in some way. It is no wonder then why dialogues become so heated.
Our Real Challenge
Some years back Ram Dass told a story of a woman he had worked with who practiced meditation and Buddhism, and whose parents were fundamental Christians. She told him that when she visited her parents, it was very hard because they would get into heated arguments over their differing beliefs. But then she realized that if she did not hold so tightly to those beliefs, she could instead practice being present and open. When she did so, the dynamic with her parents shifted. She told him, “My parents hate me when I am a Buddhist, but they love me when I am a Buddha.“
This, I think, is the great challenge of our society at this time. Can we step out of our identities that are constantly looking for ways to justify themselves and to put down the other, and open to a deeper presence and wisdom? Can we be Buddhas instead of Buddhists, practice liberal openness instead of being a liberal?
Of course, the issue is not so much what we do or do not call call ourselves: we can just as easily identify as “not a liberal” or “not a Buddhist” and it is just as limiting. The real question is, Can we tap into a deeper intelligence beyond identification with our thoughts? In fact, this could be the only real way for us to survive in the coming years, as living from and trying to reinforce our identities will only create a greater mess, no matter how seemingly well intended.
Though there is needed debate on issues like health care, our real challenge may be less legislative or political, and much more a spiritual one.
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Soren Gordhamer works with individuals and groups on living with greater mindfulness and purpose in our technology-rich age. He is the author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected (HarperOne, 2009).
Website: http://www.sorengordhamer.com
Follow Soren Gordhamer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SorenG
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Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.
Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem
No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem
Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook
“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook
Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, A New Earth
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s wonderful book, My Stroke of Insight: Nirvana is just a breath away!
And this one by Sharon Salzberg and is entitled: A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom and Compassion“.
This is a new one for you by Pema Chodron entitled: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
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Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”~~~ Buddha
Shanti everyone, … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”~~~ Buddha
Have a peaceful day!! —
Ron Rink
http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com
Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace
September 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
What an inspiring post. My practice helps me to draw on that feeling of relaxed attention in times when emotions threaten to overwhelm reasoned response. It’s almost like an opiate to be able to drop back in to that state from a place of tension or anxiety.
I’m going to save the companion article and see how I can use it in my rhetoric classes. One of the hardest concepts for my students is that of arguing without trying to beat someone else.
“…if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.” Charge of the Goddess
September 28th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
@ Carol — Thanks for the comment. Also, I love that quote — so true.
Reasoned response is difficult for everyone. It’s really hard to be a Buddha. Eckhart Tolle says this about how we handle differences of opinion — he suggests asking ourselves, “Would you rather be right or be at peace?”
Then, there’s always the suggestion of one of the women at Sue’s daughter’s Bridal Shower when they were giving Jessica advice on marriage … “When you are having an argument, always make sure one of you tells the other to ‘Drop your pants’! Seems to have a good affect on the tension.”
Peace …
September 28th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Wise words, needed and heeded as usual.
The ‘Drop your pants’ comment was perfect – I’ll have to use it sometime ;p