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Talk Notes
I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. What does this mean?
If I look up “refuge” in the dictionary, it says, “finding a place of safety…of shelter, from pursuit, danger or trouble.”
Many years ago, when Thich Nhat Hanh first started teaching in America, he told a story from his past, from his experience. He spoke of a time when he lived in a little hermitage, in the forest. It was a stormy night and he was out in the wind and the rain, getting very cold in the damp, swirling of the storm. When he arrived at his little hermitage, he came in, quickly closed the door, and built a little fire in his stove. Very shortly, the little place became warm and cozy, with the soft, crackling of the fire, and quiet stillness, despite the blustering wind and raging weather outside. It was my first vision of taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and it still lives in me to this day.
Hannah spoke of repentance last week. In Shohaku Okumura’s book, “Living by Vow”, he quotes Banjin Dotan, who comments on the precepts, “we usually think that delusive thoughts and true reality are separate and distinct; as an owner and that which is owned…when we are completely liberated, we see that there is no person who possesses delusions nor any delusions that are possessed. This is the true path of Buddha Dharma. We should not understand the Repentance Verse to mean that we must get rid of delusive thoughts by sitting upright and being mindful of the true reality. [He says:] Repentance is another name for the Three Treasures. To repent is to take refuge in the Three Treasures. When the dharma of repentance is carried out, it completely includes the three refuges and the threefold pure precepts. Repentance, the three refuges and the threefold pure precepts are not apart from falsehood caused by delusions. We are, however, able to attain liberation within delusions. We could say that before delusions leave, true reality has arrived. This is what is meant by the expression, ‘before the donkey leaves, the horse has arrived.’ We should learn that repentance is nothing other than the Dharma, the practice of the Buddha’s awakening.”
Banjin Dotan says that to awaken to the reality that exists prior to separation between delusion and enlightenment, between living beings—and Buddhas—is the essence of repentance.
And, many of you have heard that our great ancestor, Dogen, when approaching his death, did not write out one last great speech. He did not compose a great death poem, or go into a deep trance of meditation. According to Reb Anderson, in Being Upright, what he did was to take out a long piece of paper and write the characters, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in large black letters. He hung this on a pillar in his sickroom. Even though extremely ill, he roused himself to walk around the pillar, circumambulating and chanting, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha.” Reb goes on, “He brought his whole life energy forward to walk around these three jewels. He gave his whole life to buddha, dharma, and sangha, which means he gave his whole life to all living beings.
Many of you recall the chant when sewing our Rakusu or Okesa, “Namu Kie Butsu…Namu Kie Butsu…Namu Kie Butsu…” I take refuge in Buddha…I take refuge in Buddha…I take refuge in Buddha…(with every stitch of our robe…)
Our version of taking refuge at Red Cedar is as follows:
I take refuge in Buddha
Before all beings, immersing body and mind
Deeply in the way, awakening true mind
I take refuge in Dharma,
Before all beings, entering deeply
The merciful ocean of Buddha’s way
I take refuge in Sangha
Before all beings, bringing harmony
To everyone, free from hindrance
Another version of this is:
Taking refuge in the Buddha, we vow with all beings to walk his path of wisdom and compassion
Taking refuge in the Dharma, we vow to share the teachings of wisdom as boundless as the ocean
Taking refuge in the Sangha, we vow to create harmony without hindrance.
By taking refuge, Shohaku Okumura Roshi says, we make clear the direction we want to follow.
I can hold the three refuges at different levels. The first level is the way I first experienced it—a protection, a place of safety—a coming home. When I first discovered that I was Buddhist, before I had taken any formal vows, I discovered what it meant to take refuge. As Thich Nhat Hanh described, I felt the stability of the Three Treasures somehow. I discovered that I could always “return home” with the blink of eye. I could “recollect” how to have the safety, the protection, the fearlessness of returning to this refuge whenever I wanted. Here I touch the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha as one. It is, for me, the true reality which is always shining through—always available to me right now. I only need to recollect this. I don’t need to go searching for it as if I’m lost in the woods; I don’t need to re-establish a fire in the hearth—it is already there and waiting for me.
And, as my practice deepened, I also felt that this taking refuge is a vow—not just as words when we’re taking our precepts, but as a deep commitment every time we recite them and in each step. Let’s explore this a bit.
One version of the three refuges verses from Plum Village is as follows:
I take refuge in the Buddha,
The one who shows me the way in this life.
I take refuge in the Dharma,
The way of understanding and of love.
I take refuge in the Sangha,
the community that lives in harmony and awareness
Thich Nhat Hanh says “when we take refuge in the Buddha, we express trust in our capacity to walk in the direction of beauty, truth, and deep understanding , based on our experience of the efficacy of the practice. When we take refuge in the Dharma, we enter the path of transformation, the path to end suffering. When we take refuge in the Sangha, we focus our energies on building a community that dwells in mindfulness, harmony and peace. When we touch these three jewels directly and experience their capacity to bring about transformation and peace, our faith is strengthened even further. The Three Jewels are not notions. They are our life.”
Dwelling in the refuge of Buddha, I see clearly the path of light and beauty in this world.
Dwelling in the refuge of Dharma, I learn to open many doors on the path of transformation.
Dwelling in the refuge of Sangha, I am supported by its shining light that keeps my practice free of obstacles.
In the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, Thay/Thich Nhat Hanh says that practioners always say, “I go back to and rely on the Buddha in myself.” Adding “in myself” makes it clear that we ourselves are Buddha. When we take refuge in the Buddha, we must always understand, “the Buddha takes refuge in me.” Without the second part, Thay says the first is not complete. There is a short verse, “I entrust myself to Earth, Earth entrusts herself to me. I entrust myself to Buddha, Buddha entrusts himself to me.”
“During the Buddha’s last months, he always taught, Take Refuge in yourselves, not in anything else. In you, are Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Don’t look for things that are far away; be an island unto yourself. When you get lost or confused, or angry, if you practice mindful breathing and return to the island of yourself, you will be in a safe place. Buddha is our mindfulness. Dharma is our conscious breathing. Sangha is our Five Aggregates working in harmony.”
Another way of looking at this is through Reb Anderson’s eyes, again from Being Upright: “To take refuge in Buddha means to take refuge in what you really are. What you really are is already attained, always, in every moment. What you really are is Buddha…Taking refuge in Buddha, means trusting that you are Buddha.”
Taking refuge in the Buddha in myself I aspire to help all people recognize their own awakened nature and realize the mind of love.
I understand now that this is why taking the three refuges is also taking vow. It is because at some level I know that the Buddha is in me. Taking refuge means not only that I take refuge in Buddha—but that Buddha takes refuge in me. It is a commitment –it is a vow every time I take refuge.
Taking refuge in the Dharma in myself, I aspire to help all people grasp the way of practice and walk together on the path of liberation.
Thay says, “Dharma books and studies are valuable, but the true Dharma is revealed through our life and our practice. Whenever the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path are practiced, the living Dharma is there. There are 84,000 Dharma doors. Sitting meditation is one door. Walking meditation is another. To take refuge in the Dharma is to choose the doors that are most appropriate for us. Dharma is great compassion, understanding and love. And, to realize these qualities, we need a Sangha…”
Taking refuge in the Sangha in myself, I aspire to help all people build communities and encourage the transformation of all beings.
Sangha is the community of practitioners as well as other elements that support our practice—our cushion, our walking path, the trees…the sky…[and other living beings]… Thay said that in his country, there is a saying that when the tiger leaves the mountains and goes into the lowlands, he will be caught by humans and killed. “When a practitioner leaves her sangha, she may abandon her practice and ‘die’ as a practitioner. Practicing with sangha is essential. Even if we have a deep appreciation for the practice, it can be difficult to continue without the support of friends. We have individual eyes and Sangha eyes. When a Sangha shines its light on our personal views, we see more clearly.” This of course includes our teachers. They can often see more clearly places where I don’t see, either because they are hidden to me, OR I refuse to acknowledge them because of my ego mind directing me to avoid them. With my teacher’s skill, I can uncover some of the hindrances that have clouded my view—for much of this life! I also rely on our community to keep my aspiration alive—and, I look to the sangha, individuals and community…for inspiration. People in our community model the way of practicing in this world. They do inspire me. I only need to glance at another during our zazen and see how beautifully they are sitting—upright and with a deep strength, to realize my own commitment and vow.
Taking refuge, in this way, recognizing that it is a reciprocal taking refuge, reinforces the understanding of interdependence. It opens us up to all the precepts.
Taking refuge, for me, started out with a place to go for shelter, for safety, for fearlessness. As I practiced, I started feeling that this was a place of commitment, a place of “living by vow” and this way of understanding that it is a mutual exchange—not in a one-way direction, helps me to see this…
As Reb says, “when you take refuge and give your devotion to the Buddha way, there is always a response. All the Buddhas and ancestors say, ‘Welcome home!’ Glad to see you! We’ve been waiting!’…and we see that it’s a concert, not a solo performance!”
This feeling is reflected every time I think of the act of taking refuge in the Buddha—and the Buddha taking refuge in me.
Seeing the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in myself, I vow to hold this place of refuge with reverence…understanding and love.
