14. Taking Refuge

Before we start the refuge ceremony, are there any questions?

Q. Is it dangerous to take refuge if you’re not sure about Dharma because you don’t really understand it?

Lama. Well, just to turn the question on its head, perhaps we can say that if you really understand Dharma, maybe you don’t need to take refuge. No, but the thing is, if you feel that the Dharma cannot solve your life problems, you’re not under any obligation to take refuge. Then, with respect to problems, there are different levels. Check to see which problems you are OK with keeping and which you’d like to get rid of and then ask yourself, “Can I stop these unwanted problems by actualizing Dharma?” If you have the feeling and confidence that you can, then sure, take refuge. Otherwise, as you say, better not. 

Q. Can we take refuge more than once? If we’ve taken refuge before, can we do it again?

Lama. Yes, you can take refuge every day, or twenty-­four hours a day. There’s no limit. 

Q. What are the responsibilities of taking refuge?

Lama. Well, you have to take responsibility for all the actions of your body, speech and mind. Basically, though, since the essence of Buddhadharma is true compassion, your main responsibility is to not harm others, physically, verbally or mentally. 

Q. There is so much suffering in the world because of the evil that exists. How do we deal with it?

Lama. The way to deal with it is with love and compassion. Certainly not with anger and hatred. Remember what the great ancient Indian Mahayana pandit Shantideva said? If somebody beats you, instead of thinking, as we normally do, “He harmed me,” and wanting to retaliate, apply the Buddhist thought training attitude instead: “He’s helping me. I created negative karma by harming him in the past and am now magnetically attracting his harm in return. It’s my fault. I am the cause of his anger. Now he’s helping me expend my negative karma.” It’s very beneficial if you can think like that.⁵⁸

Q. By taking refuge are we also making the determination not to kill?

Lama. Yes, after taking refuge we have to try to avoid killing as much as possible. For example, I have a glass of water here: how many tiny insects might there be in it? Who knows? Lord Buddha explained that we have to use our senses to detect where there might be small beings that we could harm. But there are some sentient beings that are too small for us to detect. Those are not our problem, not our business. Some situations are impossible to handle, so there’s no need to feel guilty about them. Like, I’m relatively old—how many beings have I killed unconsciously? It takes ten minutes to drive here from where I’m staying—how many insects were killed by the car I was in? Hitting the windshield; crushed by the wheels? I can’t worry about those. The most important thing is our attitude. Sometimes we might have a dream where we get angry and kill other people. That doesn’t mean we’ve broken our refuge. Lord Buddha explained in detail what counts as killing and what doesn’t. Unconscious killing doesn’t count. 

Q. By taking refuge do we commit to certain religious practices, like reciting daily prayers or something? 

Lama. Verbal prayers? No. But internally, we should be taking refuge all the time. We don’t need to take refuge with words. We don’t need temples, either. We can take refuge when we’re in the bathroom. 

Q. Personally, I feel that Buddhism offers a lot for my development, however, I also believe in things that are worthwhile but may be contradictory to Buddhist teachings. Should I still take refuge?

Lama. What sort of contradictions?

Q. Much conflict and suffering comes from all kinds of temporal societal conditions, through people’s actions and behavior, and I feel it’s very worthwhile to use my energy to fight externally to change those things. On the other hand, I also believe that the deeper karmic explanations are true. 

Lama. I don’t see that as contradictory. You can act to help other people and protect them from harm. Act as much as you can to stop the Iran-­Iraq war, for example. How is that contradictory? Buddhism doesn’t say that you have to do everything internally and not act. If you can stop the war by taking action you should do so. Come on!

These days we see street demonstrations against nuclear power plants. From the Buddhist point of view, if you can see that you can achieve the desired result by demonstrating, you should demonstrate. If you can’t see the possibility of a result, don’t bother. It’s a waste of energy. I’m sympathetic to demonstrators; I understand what they want. But sometimes it’s difficult to succeed because the other side is too strong. 

Q. Take the Iran-­Iraq war or other conflicts, where there are children who don’t know how to take refuge. How can we take refuge knowing there are others suffering who can’t? We’re told we are taking refuge not just for ourselves but for all sentient beings. How can we do that? How can we help other people?

Lama. That’s a very good question. First of all, there are vibrations: vibrations of aggression, anger and hatred and vibrations of peace and compassion. If you send out vibrations of compassion and love, it works subconsciously, just by its very existence. That’s the Buddhist point of view: you can help others just by being who you are. Not philosophically, “Helping others is very important so I’m going to Iraq,” but just by being. I think people these days understand vibrations. That’s good enough. But practically speaking, if you have contact, space and time, you can also help those around you directly in whatever ways you can. Sometimes, if the situation demands, that might mean using aggressive means, but that has to come out of a motivation of compassion. The use of controlled aggression can be important.

For example, say I come to your house and somehow take advantage of you once, twice, three, four, five, six, seven times. . . . In order that I learn to stop doing that, you might have to knock my head a couple of times and tell me, “You have to understand something.” From the Buddhist point of view, being compassionate doesn’t mean letting everybody take advantage of you. If somebody does so repeatedly and doesn’t seem to understand when you ask them nicely to stop, you might have to hit them so that they get it. 

Another good example can be found in the way Western children are brought up. Many parents give their kids tremendous freedom. Desire is infinite, children’s desire is infinite, yet their parents keep feeding it, trying make them happy instead of disciplining them. That’s wrong. The mad elephant mind needs some discipline. Perhaps your parents were quite strict, so now that you have kids of your own you feel you should be pretty lenient and give them whatever they want. I don’t believe in that kind of thing. The ego and the monkey mind both need discipline. 

Q. I feel that there are many good aspects to the Buddhist teachings but there are some things I have trouble accepting. Reincarnation is one. I also find some of the teachings on karma to be quite extreme. For example, that it would be my karma, my fault, were I to die in an earthquake. Given all those qualms, especially not believing in reincarnation, can I still take refuge? 

Lama. Do you believe in cause and effect?

Q. Well, I think there are physical causes for an earthquake but not karmic causes in the minds of the people affected.

Lama. So you think karma has nothing to do with the physical? My head is karma; my head is physical. Look, I understand that you find it difficult to accept reincarnation and that this doubt might keep you from taking refuge, but the question is, do you think practicing Dharma can help solve your problems? If you do, you can take refuge; if you don’t, then it’s not necessary to do so. 

Q. Who is actually taking refuge? Part of the person or all of the person or . . . ? 

Lama. Meditate. Meditate on that. 

The refuge ceremony

There are many levels on which we can take refuge. First of all, if we have old, negative habits that we find difficult to curb, we can generate the strong determination to eliminate them and take refuge in Dharma with that purpose in mind. If we do this on the basis of clear understanding, that is a good enough reason for us to take refuge. Think, “I’m not the only one who is experiencing the repeated ego conflict and dissatisfaction that has continuously developed from beginningless time up until now. All universal living beings are in the same situation. The wisdom light of Dharma has the power to extinguish all this conflict and dissatisfaction, so from now on, instead of taking refuge in my ego’s objects of sense pleasure, I will take refuge in the wisdom light of Dharma.”

Visualize Shakyamuni Buddha in front of you and in this very space feel the presence of all those living beings who have reached beyond ego and have discovered eternal peace. 

Now generate strong motivation, recognizing also that since you were born up until now you have been taking refuge in objects of sense pleasure, with no understanding of the highest achievement of eternal peace, and that from now on, that achievement is your aim.

At the same time, repeat this. [See Ch. 5, The Ceremony.]

Again, visualize Shakyamuni Buddha surrounded by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. From the crown of their heads comes radiant white light; from their throats, radiant red light; from their hearts, infinite radiant blue light. All this light enters you through your crown, throat and heart respectively, purifying your entire accumulation of impure energy of body, speech and mind. 

Then, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions sink into Shakyamuni Buddha, who dissolves into an egg-­shaped light that enters your sushumna through the crown of your head and descends to your heart. You become oneness with Guru Shakyamuni. Visualize that your body, speech and mind have completely unified with Guru Shakyamuni’s holy body, speech and mind. 

OK, that’s good enough. 

As a matter of fact, based on recognizing your own limitations and ego problems, coming to even the small conclusion that you can stop your own problems and having the will to do so is very worthwhile. Just having the confidence that you can solve your own problems is very important. Lord Buddha’s view is that humans can solve any problem they set their minds to. By actualizing the wisdom light of Dharma, it’s possible, and that’s the kind of attitude we should have. I think that’s great. Normally it’s very difficult to think even once, “I can do something to solve my own problems.” 

In particular, it is important to determine that our relationship with temporal sensory objects, which bring only fleeting pleasure, is not something we can totally rely on: “Sense objects completely occupy my life and always keep me busy. That is not enough. By practicing Dharma I can discover my totality nature, my inner tranquility and peace.” Dharma can be like your wife, your husband, your girlfriend, your boyfriend. It helps you; Dharma wisdom can always help you. Whether you’re underground, in space or deep in the ocean, whatever your situation, you can activate this wisdom light. Pleasurable sense objects come and go. In my experience, they’re never there when you need them and always there when you don’t. Recognizing and having confidence in your own good qualities is very important: “I’m responsible for my degeneration and I’m responsible for my improvement.” When problems come, instead of crying out for help or calling me on the phone for assistance with your dualistic mind, dial your Dharma wisdom and put a stop to the reactionary thinking of your eight worldly dharmas. 

Dharma is a very simple thing and extremely practical as well. One minute of Dharma wisdom can arrest the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas instantly. The immediate effect is inner peace. I think this is why so many Western people are interested in Dharma. They feel it is logical and reasonable and gets quick results. For me, too, that’s enough. Getting results is enough. 

OK, enlightenment is the ultimate goal, but instead of thinking, “I want enlightenment,” what you really want is to eliminate the disturbing, irritated mind. That’s good enough, because the moment you put the Dharma into practice, you get the taste. Western people need this way of thinking. You don’t need me to tell you how many people in Western society are mentally disturbed; you know better than I do. That’s all. 

Thank you. Now please dedicate the merit.

Notes

58. "Previously I must have caused similar harm
To other sentient beings,
Therefore it is right for this harm to be returned
To me, who is the cause of injury to others."
—Bodhicaryavatara, 6:41 (see also the preceding and subsequent verses). [Return to text]