The Importance of Taking Refuge, 3 April 2023

Dear Dharma friends, by way of reminder, our season of Dharma talks begins again this evening at 730pm.

Topic: Taking Refuge & How to Practise – A Beginner’s Journey

Time: Apr 3, 2023 07:30 PM Singapore

 

 

With many thanks for the patience of all Dharma friends, these are the notes of Geshe Lama Konchok’s teaching on 3 April 2023.

 

Geshe la welcomed everyone and made the point that we are very happy to commence this year’s season of Dharma talks, and he wished everyone auspicious conditions and well-being.

 

Geshe la wanted to steer away from any particular syllabus involving the exposition of any particular religious text(s), but instead wanted to make these talks as practical as possible, taking the chance to share some of his own personal experiences that he thought would be helpful to those new to the learning (and practice) of Buddhism.

 

Therefore, Geshe la wanted to speak a bit more on the topic of taking refuge in the Triple Gem. As basic a concept as it may be, it is an apt topic to reinforce (thus the title of the talk today), not least because a proper understanding of the Triple Gem will help one to distil the essence of Buddhism insofar as it relates to one’s daily practices.

 

Geshe la reminded everyone that the act of taking refuge is not a physical one, but one is to be understood, internalised and experienced, after which it is to be carried into action in one’s daily lives. 

 

Taking refuge is not important simply because the sutras extol its importance, but rather, it defines (or distinguishes) one as a Buddhist (or not). Whether one has taken refuge or not (and this is not just an external exercise involving a physical ritual or the chanting of the refuge prayer in whatever language), will determine if one is a true Buddhist. One who has truly taken refuge is one who will automatically turn to the Triple Gem for protection in any dangerous situation, just like a child would automatically turn to his or her mother for protection.

 

Apart from being a parameter that goes towards defining if one is a Buddhist, it is also the foundation (or building blocks, as it were) for anything that’s more advanced. If you have not taken refuge, you are not eligible to take any vows (if taken they will not be regarded as effective), or receive any tantric empowerments or receive oral transmissions. So one cannot underestimate the importance of the building blocks of Refuge in the Triple Gem.

 

Once one has taken refuge, one does not fear rebirth in the lower realms anymore. It is only when one has full faith as such that one can be said to have full faith in the Triple Gem and can be said to have effectively taken refuge.

 

Geshe la reminded everyone that he spoke last time about the Mahayana Refuge and the Thervada Refuge, and their subtle differences. It boils down to the motivation – we understand that the Theravada practitioners take refuge with a view to salvation of oneself from the lower realms, whilst the Mahayana Refuge carries a motivation to liberate all others from the sufferings of samsara.

 

Another type of Refuge (not in the Triple Gem and therefore not Buddhist in the strict sense) is the worldly refuge. It refers to someone having worldly wishes such as wealth and good health in this life, and taking refuge in a worldly (unenlightened) deity or deities for that purpose.

 

But that’s not real Refuge in the Triple Gem. In the true Buddhist context, and using the Mahayana as the base example, the motivation for taking refuge must be for one to become enlightened quickly so that one becomes equipped to bring sentient beings out of samsara, so that’s very different from worldly refuge.

 

We take refuge in the Enlightened beings, and we always think they are so far away from them in terms of what we are capable of. But the truth is that they were, in past lives, not so different to us either. The sutras speak of their previous lives, when they were once like ourselves, full of delusions and defilements, but got to where they are by virtue of arduous practice. 

 

Today we benefit from the path that Shakyamuni Buddha showed us, in terms of how one practises (over many lifetimes) to become a Buddha – such arduous journeys can be seen from stories of His past lives, and it is far easier for us as He showed us the way.

 

The recommended best practice is to take refuge 3 times a day. So it’s actually not as easy as one might make it out to be.

 

 

It is important to remember that the practise of the Dharma, as a Buddhist, is an all-encompassing exercise. For instance, it is easy to understand an act of generosity as a virtuous action, one would think: that’s great, I’ve practised the Dharma. But there are many other instances in our lives where we need to recognise as precious opportunities for us to practise the Dharma of thought transformation, to overcome our afflictions and tendency to become controlled by those afflictions and delusions. So say for example, someone does us harm and we get angry. Yet, how many of us are able immediately see this as an opportunity for us to practise forbearance and to bear in mind this effect arises by reason of past causes – this is the mind training or thought transformation that we need to learn, internalise and practise.

 

Geshe la also reminded the class that it is important to make a distinction between Refuge in some worldly deities who may provide help and comforts including material wealth, and Refuge in the Triple Gem that will protect us not just for this life, but our many lifetimes to come. That distinction must be very clear in one’s own minds. It’s ok to pray or propitiate the worldly deities that may help concerns relevant to this lifetime, but it is not appropriate to take refuge in them believing (wrongly) that they are the road to salvation out of samsara. It is advisable to understand this distinction even before one takes refuge.

 

Now that we understand the meaning of Taking Refuge, we are in a good position to Take Refuge, and then treasure the opportunity to train and transform one’s mind. In the Madhyamika Treatises, it is said to the effect that the energy that keeps us alive is scarce and is constantly slipping away, whereas the conditions for disaster abound, so we need to treasure the chance to learn the Dharma now that we have the chance to be acquianted with it, lest that precious link be lost if that opportunity is not seized.

 

So we need to have the right views and perspective, and corresponding right conduct. We need to know that everything we experience is a consequence of the principle of “dependent arising” at play – everything that arises has its cause and is no more than an effect of that precise cause created in the past. Consonant with that principle of “dependent arising” is the principle of not harming others.

 

Geshe la explained the virtues of the attitude of non-harming, or harbouring a disposition of love for peace and stability. If there is even an intention to harm, there will be a corresponding negative effect. Further, all sentient beings have been our mothers before. So how can we bear to harm them? We should be kind to them instead. Herein lies the interplay between compassion (not wanting suffering for others) and loving kindness (wanting others to be happy).

 

Geshe la outlined that in Shantideva’s Path of the Bodhisattva, Shantideva reminds us that all sentient beings want happiness and don’t want suffering. So all are equal in that sense. Therefore, we should not harm others.

 

On the aspect of having a correct view of things, understanding the principle of “dependent arising” is important. The concepts of emptiness i.e. there being no inherent sense of self, and the concept of impermanence, are all interlinked principles. Geshe la acknowledged that these principles may seem abstract to some but emphasised that one should not be discouraged from Buddhism simply because there is a lot of depth beneath the more basic concepts, but encouraged everyone to take it slowly and to adopt a step by step approach.

 

Geshe la took pains to emphasise that for Buddhist practitioners who have some degree of mind training practice, being an undesirable situation will be far less unbearable compared to someone else who is untrained. For example, if a Buddhist practitioner fails to secure a certain business deal, he or she will understand why his business is failed – he or she will be able to remind himself/herself re the laws of karma. He or she will reason “I did not have enough merit to make this business work, or that this may be the ripening of past negative karma”. He or she will be able to relate this lack of success to his or her own karma or past actions. But if one did not have any similar belief and/or training, that individual will hold on to a lot of anguish and anger for far longer, especially when one places the blame on other externalities.

 

 

Geshe la said that for children, it may be helpful to start with books illustrating the different bodhisattvas and the perfections of they represent, using the aid of pictures and stories. In this way, once they are older in their teens for example, they will be able to read on their own having already had a positive imprint or general working knowledge of Buddhism.

 

Geshe la relayed his own experience when he was a young monk – his Master would tell the young monks stories. They were not just normal tales for entertainment, but were biographies of the Buddha Himself and many Enlightened Masters that came after Him, and these went a long way to calibrating the compass of Geshe la’s mind.

 

For the elderly, they would invariably have experienced life’s ups and downs. Geshe la recommended that it is good to suggest to them to just chant simple mantras, such as Namo Amitabha. They should be encouraged to formulate positive intent/motivation etc and to dedicate merits daily. Geshe la observed that some old folks take such advice well and actually do very well despite having come into the religion late! 

 

Geshe la has witnessed real life examples of those who were able to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha despite coming into Buddhism late in their lives. There are 2 categories of elderly who succeed in this regard. Some of them have accumulated plentiful merits already on their own accord. Others have a powerful positive motivation – with each mantra, they are effectively positive wishes to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha. This practice is actually very popular in Han Chinese Buddhism and that is actually very effective and should be encouraged! 

 

Geshe la’s advice for those with elderly and unwell parents is for the children to try to chant with the elderly if they are unwell and can’t articulate. The mere hearing of the syllables of the mantras will assist them with chanting the mantras in their minds as well, and it will help them towards a better rebirth if they are on their journey into the next life.

 

Geshe la relayed how in the case of their accomplished masters in monasteries who are dying, the disciples will recite the sutras by their death beds. The rationale is that even after the body is clinically dead, the consciousness remains in the body. The medical definition of clinical death, death occurs once the gross consciousness is gone and the heart is no longer beating/ the lungs are no longer breathing. But by Buddhist reckoning, the subtle consciousness is actually in the body. It can still feel what’s happening outside the body. That’s why during this time, it is important to imbue that person’s consciousness with the positive seeds that will propel him/her towards a positive rebirth.

 

For us normal folk, before we die, they will have a vision of all the good and bad things we did in our lives. But what we can do is to help ourselves visualise all the positive things we did in our. This can be done by chanting mantras which will help the person visualise their meritorious deeds. One can even put an audio mantra on “repeat”.  This is important to a dying person or someone who has just been pronounced clinically dead.

 

On the topic of dealing with a recently departed loved one, Geshe la advised that it is ideal to leave the dead person’s body there for 2 hours after clinical death before one even attempts to touch it or do anything with it. If you can’t help it, leave it there at least for 45 minutes. Do not do things like change the body’s clothes etc. The sutras tell us the above, and it is important to not cremate the body until 3 days later. If you do it so soon after clinical death, the consciousness may still be in the body and one runs the risk of inadvertently committing the karma of killing – this is important, so we try not to do any cremation until at least 3 days later.

 

Geshe la explained that his source for belief in the above is not merely the sutras. He has personally witnessed how highly acclaimed practitioners can control their consciousnesses, allow them to remaining in their bodies for a long time even after clinical death.

 

Geshe la has witnessed cases where departing high lamas gives specific instructions to their disciples on what to do after breathing has ceased. They are precise even to the point of when they will breath their last breathe, and when the consciousness will finally leave the body. Geshe la has witnessed how accurate their instructions are, as well as predictions on what signs the disciples will see and when those signs will appear. 

 

Geshe la has also himself witnessed a monk who have died, and the doctors come to certify him clinically dead, but a couple of hours later, the monk came back to life. The monk relayed the post death experience, and explained that during this period when he was meant to be “dead”, he could hear the exact conversation that was going between the doctor and the other monks, including what parts of his body the doctor had examined!

 

This underscores the importance of treating bodies of the recently deceased with care and respect, along the lines recommended above.

 

Next week, Geshe la will introduce the Seven Branch Prayer which will help all in your practices, and we thank you all for attending and/or following Geshe la’s teachings. May all of you be well and happy.

 

The Maha Tare Team