Refuge (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Maitreya Instituut, Holland 1990 (Archive #375)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings during a refuge ceremony at Maitreya Instituut, Holland, in August 1990.

Learn more about refuge in Refuge in the Three Jewels, the seventh module of FPMT's Discovering Buddhism at Home. Refuge in the Three Jewels, a booklet compiled on the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is also available from FPMT Foundation Store.    

Motivation for Taking Refuge Vows; Refuge Ceremony

...that much world or realms completely filled with jewels and you give sentient beings, the merit of this is nothing, very small comparing the merit giving one stanza of Dharma to the sentient beings.

And also teaching Dharma that is the best guidance, best way of guiding sentient beings is by teaching Dharma. Why? Because among the Buddha's actions, Buddha's way of guiding sentient beings, there's material giving, manifesting various forms, there's so many levels of guiding other sentient beings, but among all these, the best way of guiding sentient beings, highest action of Buddha guiding sentient beings, giving teachings, freeing the sentient beings from suffering and leading them to enlightenment is giving teachings. Even relating to Buddha, highest action is giving teachings.

So this just happened about the vows, so I thought to explain the whole thing. The whole thing is an advice how to, like the business advice, like a person who consult, how you can make the best, most profitable business, like that. So here we're talking about the inner business, how to do the best, greatest inner business that how one can accumulate most extensive merit in one's own everyday life.

So the main thing here to think is the benefits of the vows.

So the other thing is this, yes, you can take the refuge vow, only refuge vow you can take, without taking vow to not kill and to not do this, to not do that, without taking any vow, from the five precepts without taking any vow, only taking refuge vow, one can do like this, but I normally emphasize that, because when you take refuge to Dharma what you have to abandon is giving harm to other sentient beings, so therefore killing is the heaviest one usually for the sentient beings. For example, for us, if somebody is going to beat or somebody is going to cut the limbs or finger or something, injure limb or kill, then usually you might choose to not be killed, if there's choice then to not be killed, if there's choice, injure or beaten or whatever it is, the thing, in order to not, one don't choose to be killed, one choose the injure or beating. So like that, since the killing is the most harmful usually even relating to oneself one doesn't want to be killed, if there's choice then you choose the other problem. So therefore I normally emphasize that people, even though planning only to take refuge vow, but I emphasize that good to take the to not kill, means particularly intentionally killing, that one. So also, because of the benefits that I explained, if the person is living in two vows then so much more merit every time when the person does some good action offering to the Triple Gem or making charity or giving help the sentient beings.

Yeah, then, so like this, so as far as refuge, in the lam-rim explained the benefits. By taking refuge it becomes foundation for all the vows. Without taking refuge then one cannot take any other vow, without the ground there's nothing to build, it's the same, nothing to grow, like that. Then, it purifies all the past negative karmas, by having refuge, practicing refuge. Then, accumulates immediately extensive merit. Then, one is able to succeed all the wishes by having refuge, so because one rely upon the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, so because of that, one is able to obtain all the success. So by relying upon the Triple Gem you are able to cease all the obscurations, negative karmas which continuation did not have beginning, all the sufferings, which continuation did not have beginning get ceased. Even though it did not have beginning, but one is able to cease, one can end and complete the mind in all the qualities, the realizations. So, by taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha it is able to do all this, then no question temporary things, temporary small things, some happiness this life to be succeed, no question. Even that most difficult one, to achieve enlightenment, even that most difficult one, one is able to succeed by taking refuge, it is based on refuge, so like this.

Then, one doesn't get harmed by human beings and non-human beings, one doesn't get harmed, and refuge is the best protection for life. Then, one quickly become enlightened. Then, the one thing is this, the first one is this, by having refuge then one entered in the Buddhadharma. Otherwise, how one is so expert, even one has memorized all the sutra, tantra texts by heart, can explain very well, but if you don't take refuge you have not still entered in the Buddhadharma, you haven't met the teaching, even you know all the sutra, tantra texts by heart, can explain well, but if there's no refuge, the reliance to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, with faith and understanding fear, aversion to the samsaric sufferings and lower realm sufferings, if this is not there, then one hasn't met the Buddhadharma, one hasn't entered in the Buddhadharma, like that.

Then, first, make three prostrations to Buddha, by thinking that actual living Buddha, remembering compassion, all sentient beings, oneself, power, the omniscient mind, remembering all this, then make three prostrations.

Here, this time one makes short, five-limbed prostration, not the long one, long one is according to the Mahayana tradition, from Naropa, Naropa's tradition, according to Mahayana tradition. Here the, according to the pratimoksha vow or the Lesser Vehicle path, five-limbed prostration. Then again three prostrations to the lama who gives the vow.

Then, please, those who can kneel down, can kneel down. Then those who can't kneel down then sit on a chair, can relax.

Then think, until I become free from samsara, then, which means these aggregates, which means now, here, these aggregates caused by karma and delusion and contaminated seed of disturbing thoughts, because of that then one creates karma again and again and that compounds the cause of samsara, imprint on the mind. So until I become free from this samsara, I will have to experience suffering of samsara continuously. So, whichever place I go is only a place of suffering, with whomever I accompany it's only friend of sufferings and whatever I enjoy it's only enjoyment of suffering. So as I explained yesterday, whatever one does, sitting is suffering, standing is suffering, so whatever one does is only suffering in samsara, until one become free from samsara it's like this, whatever life one live it's suffering nature.

Then, like this, and also, one experiences, in samsara, nothing is definite, even one's own body, possessions, relationships, nothing is definite, so that is shortcomings of samsara, mistakes being in samsara, while one experiences these problems. Then, no matter how much one enjoy does not find satisfaction, it doesn't give satisfaction, one doesn't get satisfaction, never get satisfied, so that is the mistake of being in samsara. Then leaving the body, one take the body and leave that again, one take the body and leave that again, so that's also a mistake of being in samsara.

Then, joining again and again that means this mother came from another mother, this mother came from another mother, that came from another mother, from another mother, that mother came from another mother, so like this, mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother, like this. Even we make the whole earth into the same pills, into pills, the juniper tree fruit, the juniper, that size, even one make whole earth into the pills and count them mother's mother, never enough to count the mother's mother, so, and also father's father, father's father, like this, all the continuation of all these father's father's father, mother's mother's mother, all the blood came from this mother, which continued from the other mother, which continued the other mother, so like this, so from all those mothers, since the earth started, from that, evolved and started human being, from there, continued, this blood continues now from all that. And this sperm came from the father, the continuation came from the other father, that father came from another father, so from father's father's father's father like this, so this one became one's own body, this sperm and blood combined, this egg, then this became one's own body.

So therefore the body is like an old septic tank, somehow it's like all the bathroom from toilet, all the things went in the septic tank and like that, so this body, that which we think very clean, so pure and clean, so, like this, so then is mistake being in the samsara, having such a body. The very thin skin covered outside, if this thin skin is, if this is a little bit taken out, even small piece is taken out, it becomes terrifying, blood comes and the red, things like that. So, inside is only terrifying object, bones and flesh, things like that, inside, completely filled, only terrifying, it's just covered outside thin skin.

So, however, so this having such suffering body is mistake being in the samsara and then, even one become higher, again one becomes lower, nothing definite in the positions and realms, by the realm, by the position, rank, you can't stay all the time there, worldly powers, you can't have all the time, so nothing definite, all this high and lower, become higher then again become lower, so no freedom like this, no freedom, so that's the mistake being in the samsara.

Then, when you are born, one has to be born alone and when one dies, one has to die alone. You can't bring, there's nobody coming together with you and how much negative karma we accumulated for the relatives, for the surrounding people, the family, how much negative karma we created, for them, in the narak when one experiences the result of those negative karmas, then nobody comes there saying that I will take some of your sufferings, that you don't need to experience all, I will share half - there's nobody comes to experience, when one experience the suffering result nobody comes there to share. One has to experience by oneself alone, all the negative karmas that one has accumulated.

So like this, so therefore then until one become free from samsara it's only in the nature of suffering, constantly suffering, so such as the three types of suffering, so therefore this time I have received a perfect human rebirth, I have met the Buddhadharma, I have met the virtuous teacher, so, I have all the opportunities to be free from samsara, so this time I must make, achieve the ever release, must achieve enlightenment, which is every release from the whole samsara, for sentient beings. So therefore I'm going to, by relying upon Buddha as the founder of the refuge, Dharma as the actual refuge, Sangha as helper to actualize the refuge, Dharma, then in this way I'm going to take the refuge vow, I'm going to take the upasika vow.

Now those who, if you are still taking, still, even though I mentioned like this, but still it is in your hand, taking only refuge vow and not taking the, even one doesn't want to take the killing, vow to not kill. I explained how important is the benefits of even living in one more vow, besides only refuge vow, so basically it's up to individual freedom. So, is there anybody who's taking just only refuge vow?

[Discussion with student]

Again, make sure of the motivation, first see that the whole entire samsara is only suffering. Then this time I must achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, therefore I'm going to take - those who are taking more than only refuge vow, like to not kill, then you say upasika one vow, two vows, three vows, four vows, five vows, whatever number that you are taking, you just think from your side like that. Then, those who are taking only refuge vow, then you think, I am taking only refuge vow. Then you repeat the prayer.

[Refuge ceremony]

Now the first one is taking refuge to Buddha. So, as I mentioned before, conventional Buddha, the sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, that which takes the holy body for sentient beings. Then, dharmakaya, so you can think in the nature of the omniscient mind. So, taking refuge to Buddha, much more million times much more greater, much more than the doctor. Because Buddha, by revealing teaching, can cease all the disturbing thought obscurations, cause of the suffering and even the subtle obscurations, ceases all the mental, mistakes of the mind. The doctor, even it cures the disease, but since the cause, negative karma, delusions, nothing, is not cured, so even the disease get cured, it's only temporarily, so it comes back again in this life, after some time, if not this life, then next lives, especially as one didn't purify the negative karma and creates again the cause of disease, like that.

So from the heart rely upon them.

Now next one, taking refuge to Dharma. So, rely upon Dharma much more, million times more than medicine. So, with the same reason, reason is the same, even the medicine cures but it's only temporary.

There's absolute Dharma and conventional Dharma, absolute Dharma is to do with the wisdom realizing the, directly perceiving emptiness and cessation of those sufferings. Conventional Dharma is the scriptures, like lam-rim teachings.

Now next one taking refuge to Sangha - absolute Sangha and conventional sangha. Absolute Sangha who has actualized the absolute Dharma. Conventional Sangha is the four members who are fully ordained, living in the pure vow.

Taking refuge to both of them, million times much more than nurse, than rely upon nurse.

Next one means, Please guide me by giving the only upasika refuge vow or upasika vow one precept, two precepts, three precepts, like that, so whatever you are taking, five precepts, whatever.

So to guide me by giving these vows until death time. So in the mind you think like that, in the mind individually think like that, whatever the, if it's only refuge then you think upasika only refuge vow, like that.

So at the end of the third repetition, that time then I snap the finger, when you hear that, then think without wandering mind, then should think that you received the vow, whatever the number of the vow that you have taken, then think you have received, in the front of Buddha. In the presence of Buddha, the lama, so, think like that.

Also, after the third repetition, then as you receive the vow, then also I become the lopon, lopon means the leader leading in the path to liberation. How? Then, basic one is by giving the vow. By giving the vow, then living in the vow, then makes to stop certain number of negative karmas and certain number of the good karma. So, this is the best cause for the realization of the path, for attaining realization of the path, living in the vow of morality is the best cause for quick realization of the path. So same thing, to have samatha realization, need, that depends on living in pure morality, so then much easier and quicker, so same, like that. The realization of tranquil abiding. So, liberation is the same - so liberation depend on the path and the path depend on living in the vow, the importance of that is this.

Then think, as the previous arhats their mind renounced the negative karmas, and body, speech and mind abstained from these negative karmas, I am also going to abstain, going to renounce these negative karmas and abstain with body, speech and mind from those negative karmas, whatever number of vows one has taken. So those who only take refuge vow, then can relax, can sit down.

[Rest of ceremony]

So, now, by taking refuge to Buddha, what one should abandon is following the wrong founders, who reveal the wrong path which is against to the Buddha's path, following the wrong founder. So, by analyzing, what path that is shown, whether it is, if that is contradictory to the Buddha's path, then if one follow to that, which is against to Buddha's path, then Buddha cannot guide. Like, while one is taking the medicine from the wrong doctor, wrong medicine with the wrong diagnosis, wrong prescription, then, while you are doing that, the learned, wise doctor cannot help you, so like that, same. Because it doesn't work, both together it doesn't work, it cannot help.

Then, what one should practice is by taking refuge to Buddha, then even a broken statues of Buddha and even one part or one piece of paintings, drawing of Buddha, if one see on the floor, then one pick up, then think actual living Buddha, and put in a high, clean place.

Then, why, that is because the Buddha is powerful object, so therefore disrespect, even with those holy objects Buddha, then becomes very heavy karma, then that obscures the mind, that makes the mind, that affects the mind, so then, itself become the obstacle to be able to transform the mind, to be able to actualize the path in the mind. So, besides other problems, sufferings that arise from that.

Then,…