What is called “Taking Refuge” is something we all Buddhist do at the beginning of our practice (and some of us, at the beginning of our day). In our practice, it is the following prayer:

With the aspiration to free every living being,

Until the essence of liberation is reached

Without ceasing, I go for refuge

In the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

But why do we do this? And what is that we’re Taking Refuge on?

The Why

One thing that we need to establish is that everyone has their own motivation to take refuge. Mine can differ from yours, right? Replace “Taking Refuge” with “Being Buddhist”. Why are people drawn to the Buddha dharma? A multitude of reasons.

Sri Atisha, in his “Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment” (Bodhipāthapradipaṃ) establishes three major groups for motivations:

·        People who basically practice this for comfort and a better existence. This group is the one with the lesser potential.

·        Those who, having seen how the world oscillates between pleasure and displeasure experientially and therefore are done with Samsara, are the middling potential group.

·        Finally, there are those who, by experiencing Samsara, gave birth to the wish to help all beings. These sentient beings are the followers of the Bodhisattva path and the ones with the greatest potential for liberation and magical siddhis.

The reason for taking refuge is our Motivation: why are we doing what we are doing? We’re re-asserting the path that we’re currently walking. This, done daily, is a powerful reminder, like a re-consecrating of the world and us.

Do note that none of the above motivations are wrong: if what you want is to improve your life, that’s not a wrong motivation for practicing. It’s just that’s a less fertile field on which to plant the seed of your Buddhahood.

Also motivations change. It’s not a one-way street. You might start as someone who’s self-centered and grow to become more compassionate through interactions with other practitioners. Or you can be idealistic, open to helping everyone and have some horrible experiences that make you close off. But as long as you’re still taking refuge, if you’re still recommitting yourself daily to the Path, it can take longer, but you’re still walking it.

Therefore, we take refuge to keep our feet on the Path.

What on?

What is this Buddha, Dharma and Sangha that we’re taking refuge in?

There are so many levels to refuge and to this question that it would be impossible to answer it fully here. But we do not need to know all the levels there are: we just need the basics, so we can build our own practice.

The three parts of refuge are called The Triple Gem, and they are:

·        The Buddha: the originator of our path in these eons. The Buddha is both the teacher that taught it and the model for those who follow the Path. Therefore, at the beginning, we use the historical Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha Shakyamuni as our source of refuge.

·        The Dharma: the Path to Enlightenment that the Buddha and those teachers that came after him taught. If the Buddha is the goal, the Dharma is the plan to get to that goal.

·        The Sangha: those who walk the Path with you, the community of practitioners. If you think you can do this alone, let me tell you: this is, at this moment, the most important jewel.

But this description, while technically accurate, can be a little dry. So, let’s think like a great Sorcerer-Saint, a Mahasiddha in Sanskrit. Let’s think like Khadgapa: sorcerer, meditation master, saint & professional robber.

The Enlightenment Heist

Yes, we could save all the little merit that we generate by our actions alone, with no commitment to the Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha. As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘a penny saved is a penny earned’. And this is a very safe way to think. Let’s say that you want to help all beings cross the ocean of Samsara. Do you know how many pennies it takes to buy the lowest fleet of ships?

Just rob a fucking bank, like Khadgapa would.

Let’s say that we want to gain Enlightenment for all beings, and that this Enlightenment is something that is written. The only copy of the True Enlightenment Manual is on a Swiss Bank. Since this is a model of Enlightenment, this would be our Buddha.

But we cannot rob the bank by ourselves. We need fellow robbers, whom we can trust, that will help us get to the vault and to our treasure. These are the Sangha.

Of course, we can’t just waltz in there. We need a plan, a way in. This is Dharma.

But this plan will not be simple. It will require months and months of work to prepare. It will require scouting, coordination, custom costumes. That takes commitment. By taking refuge daily, we commit to work on the plan.

And this is something that even bank robbers understand. They are dangerous, violent people, but they understand the need to commit themselves to this act, one that is uniquely dangerous and regarded by most people who are not robbers themselves as negative.

So, be like a bank robber and make out like a bandit by taking refuge.

Lesson Summary

“Taking Refuge” is a common practice in Buddhism, typically recited at the beginning of one's practice or day. This practice involves a prayer expressing the aspiration to free all living beings and seeking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

The Why:

• There are various motivations for individuals to take refuge, such as seeking comfort, liberation from cyclic existence (Samsara), or developing compassion for all beings.
• The motivation behind taking refuge is crucial as it reasserts the path being followed and serves as a daily reminder and commitment to the Buddhist practice.

The What:

When taking refuge, individuals are seeking refuge in The Triple Gem, which consists of:

• The Buddha: Represents the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who serves as a teacher and a model for followers.
• The Dharma: Represents the teachings and path to enlightenment as taught by the Buddha and subsequent teachers.
• The Sangha: Refers to the community of practitioners who support and walk the path alongside individuals seeking refuge.

The Enlightenment Heist:

An analogy is presented likening the act of taking refuge to a bank robbery. This metaphor emphasizes the importance of committing to the path represented by the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha for achieving enlightenment and helping all beings across the ocean of Samsara.