"Taking Refuge" means to return and rely. From
where
do we return from and to what do we rely upon? When we
take refuge in the Buddha, we are returning from our
deluded state of mind and relying upon an Awakened,
Understanding mind. When we take refuge in the
Dharma, we are returning from deviant views and
relying upon proper views and under-standing. When we
take refuge in the Sangha, we are returning from
pollution and disharmony and relying upon Purity of
Mind and the Six Principles of Living in Harmony.
Taking refuge in the Triple Jewels restores the
complete wisdom and abilities of our Self-Nature. We
will attain Purity, Equality, Honesty, Contentment,
Compassion, and overall, True Happiness.
"Buddha" is a sanskrit word which means 'Awareness
and
Understanding'. When we take refuge in the Buddha, we
vow to return from blind faith and delusion and rely
upon Un-derstanding and Aware-ness as a way of life.
We are not relying upon the statues or Buddha-images,
but rather the spirit of Understanding and Awareness
they represent.
~~This is taking refuge in the Buddha~~
"Dharma" means 'Right Under-standing and Views.'
Delusion has obstructed us from seeing the true face
of people and the reality behind matters and objects.
This has caused us to look at life and the universe in
a distorted and deviant way. When delusion is cleared
and our minds are pure to an extent, we give rise to
wisdom. With wisdom, we are able to see all people
and matters completely and clearly. When our hearts
are pure, we can see the past, present, and future.
Only when we have clearly seen the Whole can our
viewpoint and Understanding be considered 'Right'.
The Buddha's mind is pure without the slightest
pollution and therefore sees everything clearly and
entirely. We can rely upon the Sutras (recorded
teachings of the Buddha) because they speak entirely
of the truths the Buddha has seen. They teach and
show us the way to attain Purity of Mind, to see life
and the universe most clearly, and become just like
the Buddhas.
~~This is taking refuge in the Dharma~~
"Sangha" means 'purity and harmony'. Today's
world is
full of pollution. Pollution of mind, spirit, views,
and body. Even the earth and atmosphere are hazardly
polluted. The Buddha taught, "The environment changes
according to our state of mind." We should return
from all these pollutions and rely upon purity of
mind. Purity of Mind is the key to saving our Earth.
There is also great disharmony in our world today,
among spouses, families, friends, societies, and
countries which has brought us much suffering and
disasters. The Buddha taught us to rely upon the Six
Principles of Living in Harmony to establish
harmonious relationships between ourselves and others.
~~This is taking refuge in the Sangha~~
Thus the Three Refuge:
To the Buddha I return and rely,
returning from delusions and
relying upon Awareness and Understanding.
To the Dharma I return and rely,
returning from erroneous views and
relying upon Proper Views and Understanding.
To the Sangha I return and rely,
returning from pollutions and disharmony and relying
upon Purity of Mind and the
Six Principles of Living in Harmony.
Grasp a Buddhist word TODAY!
mudita - appreciative joy or spontaneous joy
in
response to others success