17. SEEKING REFUGE

THE NEXT PHASE is the practice of taking refuge and developing deep conviction in the law of causality.

In order to have a very firm and reinforced practice of refuge, you can visualize the objects of refuge. This is done by visualizing light rays emanating from the heart of the spiritual master at your heart. Then again visualize buddhas and bodhisattvas in front of you in the space above. Reflect upon their exceptional qualities of body, speech, and mind, and think that you have experienced the intense sufferings of the lower realms in the past, and if you do not control yourself at this time you might continue to undergo such suffering in the future as well. With such reflection, you should entrust yourself totally to the care of these objects of refuge and seek refuge in them. Then visualize nectar descending, which purifies the negativities.

To explain in brief, taking refuge is the factor that determines whether or not one is a Buddhist. Therefore, it is the entrance into the Buddhist community, marks one’s becoming a Buddhist, and lays a proper foundation for taking subsequent vows. Its practice can take various forms. There are some forms of refuge practice that are based on a reasoned conviction derived through valid cognition. Those who may not have such a faculty but who have seen and admired the great qualities and capacities of the Buddha, dharma, and sangha, can—on the basis of their personal convictions—take them as an infallible refuge. The Buddha said in one sutra:

Faith is the forerunner of all positive deeds,

Hence should be cultivated first;

It safeguards all virtuous qualities,

And enhances them as well.

The more progress you make in your spiritual path and the more advanced you become, the better your practice of refuge can become. Someone who possesses this factor of refuge entrusts himself or herself totally to the care and guidance of the Three Jewels and takes refuge in them. To have a successful practice of refuge, it is first of all necessary to cultivate the two basic causes for seeking refuge, which are the factors of fear and conviction, as discussed earlier.

Just reflect that it is your natural tendency to wish to experience happiness and avoid suffering, and that you can accomplish this feat by cultivating the dharma within yourself. What is meant by dharma is the spiritual realization that you can achieve as a result of your practice. Any factor that can enable you to achieve total liberation from delusions and sufferings and bring about the realization of a true cessation is the true dharma. Since delusions do not reside in the essential nature of the mind, they are adventitious and can be purged and cleared away from your mind when the right opponent forces are applied. Once you are able to free yourself totally and get rid of the delusions which are the causes of your sufferings, then there is no possibility of experiencing sufferings. The achievement of that liberation marks total victory, and that is true cessation, or in other words, the dharma. Cessation of suffering and delusions does not refer to delusions becoming exhausted through the passage of time, but rather it refers to a state where one has achieved a form of cessation developed through one’s applying the actual opponent forces that destroy the potential of delusion within. That “cessation” is dharma, so when one says, “Dharma is refuge,” one should have the understanding that dharma is the path that leads one to the state of liberation and also the state of cessation itself, and that these are the actual refuge.

The moment someone has these realizations, such a person is regarded as a superior being or an arya. All people employing skillful means, if they are able to free themselves from delusions and sufferings and achieve their cessation, are spiritual beings and form the spiritual community.

Because seeing such spiritual persons can be encouraging, spiritual communities are helpful. We beginners require the companionship of the spiritual community. By leaning on the support of some superior persons, we are able to make progress. Such people possess the realizations and cessations and, due to their experience, are able to guide us properly. Even for worldly knowledge we require teachers.

We need the guidance of a fully accomplished master who is able to lead us on the right path to the achievement of cessation, through a gradual process and in the proper order of the path, because cessation is a state that can be achieved only through a gradual process—it cannot come about instantly. Therefore, it is very important to rely upon a spiritual master or the Buddha, the master of the doctrine, a master who possesses the compassion that is totally impartial and encompasses all sentient beings within its sphere. Lama Tsongkhapa said:

Those who are outside your doctrine,

Though they persevere with hardships for long,

Strengthen the view grasping at self,

As though hastily asking for miseries.

Masters of other religious disciplines are admirable because their teachings benefit many people, but since Buddhist practitioners are engaged in a path leading to the ultimate liberation and are not confined to the perfection of this lifetime alone, they should have a unique master conforming to their own mode of spiritual path. Generally speaking, all the masters of the major religious of this world should be respected and should be admired, be they Buddhist or non-Buddhist. At the same time, when it comes to our own refuge, it is important to go for refuge to the Buddha. It is not a question of being partial, because it is only someone who has realized the real meaning of emptiness who will be able to show the path leading to liberation through experience and the doctrine which outline the path leading to liberation through experience.

The importance and significance of the master Buddha come from the nature of the dharma. As I remarked earlier, understanding of dharma can be developed on the basis of understanding the Two Truths and the Four Noble Truths. Let us take a phenomenon, a single object; although it has many levels of characteristics and qualities, it is not necessary for one to realize all of them at one time. Similarly, there are many different levels of understanding of the Four Noble Truths. It is only by understanding the subtle views of the Madhyamika Prasangika that one can understand the Four Noble Truths on their subtlest level, but that does not mean one cannot develop an understanding of the Four Noble Truths without these Views.

If you understand the dharma, you will be able to respect the other Jewels, too. The word Kanchok (Jewel) will have a special meaning. Dharma is very rare and precious; the same is true of the spiritual community and the master of the doctrine. Through such reflections, you will be able to develop a deep conviction that the Jewels are unfailing and reliable when a refuge is sought in them. Having visualized the Three Jewels, it is very effective to reflect upon the exceptional qualities of the master of the doctrine, the Buddha. As mentioned in the opening verse of Pramana-samucca (Compendium of Valid Cognitions) by Dignaga, the Buddha is someone who evolved as a fully enlightened being through the perfection of universal compassion and wisdom, hence attaining all the realizations and cessations. Thus we see that great compassion and wisdom are the chief qualities of the Buddha. Even in worldly terms, the more intelligent and knowledgeable a person is, the more the person commands respect. Similarly, the more compassionate, kind and gentle a person, the more he or she should be respected. This is not a matter of religion alone, for not only human beings but even small insects have the natural instinct to be happy and to avoid sufferings, and thus appreciate kindness. So if you are able to develop that intelligence and altruism to their fullest extent, then you are truly admirable and deserve to be respected.

By reflecting upon the great qualities and capacities of the objects of refuge, you will develop a conviction that will be firmly rooted in and deeply based on reason, and thereby able to withstand logical analysis. You should not believe in the preciousness and sanctity of a spiritual being or Buddha just because someone said that this being possesses these qualities; rather you should develop faith and conviction through your own analytic process, by comparing these beings to other masters of doctrine. A refuge practice developed through such a process will be very firm and stable, whereas a practice developed just by relying on a few words of a person will not be very stable. Such a practice will be very much like the Chinese description of Buddhist practice—blind faith.

The attitude of entrusting yourself from the round orb of your heart to a superior being is the proper refuge. It should be deeply felt, and you should entrust yourself totally to the care of the Three Jewels. A recitation of the refuge formula—“I go for refuge to the Buddha”—induced by such a force of mind marks the taking of refuge.

Let us set aside for a while the question of meditational deities, dharmapalas, heroes, and so forth as objects of refuge; the basic necessity is the recognition of the Three Jewels. Now, when the Buddha is spoken of in the context of the Mahayana, you should understand that the reference is not confined to the historical person alone. If it were, then many inconsistencies in the Mahayana writings would emerge. It is very difficult to explain how an ordinary person became totally enlightened within one lifetime without ever practicing highest yoga tantra. Within the Mahayana context, Buddha Shakyamuni should be seen as the nirmanakaya (emanation body), the attainment of which, one assumes, is possible only when a being has achieved the sambhogakaya (enjoyment body). Both these bodies are dependent on the attainment of the dharmakaya (truth body). So an understanding of these three bodies—dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya—is very important.

Then you should reflect upon the exceptional qualities of the Buddha’s great compassion, wisdom, and capacity—in other words, the qualities of his body, speech, mind, activities, and so forth. Then you will be able to develop a deep conviction in the buddhas’ capacities, because they are the beings who have totally conquered all forms of obstacles and limitations within their minds and who have the ability to enable others to do so. The full meaning of the word buddha—fully enlightened—could come about only on the basis of an understanding of the indivisible union of method and wisdom. Only when you develop an understanding of the Buddha in such a manner can the meditational deity become really significant and mean something profound, because realization of a meditational deity is possible only on the basis of undertaking a practice that is a union of method and wisdom. The same is true of protectors, heroes, heroines, dakinis, and so forth, who provide assistance on the path. If you do not have such a firm understanding, perhaps it is better to have just the understanding of Buddha Shakyamuni in his bhikshu form. If your understanding of a meditational deity is not much different from your perception of a non-Buddhist deity, then it is not very profound. Without a proper understanding, visualization of all these complex deities can be more harmful than beneficial.

First, make a fervent request to the spiritual master at your crown to enable you to have the perfect realization of the practice of refuge. As a Mahayanist, you should also wish that all sentient beings may develop the same aspiration. As explained in the section on relying on a spiritual master, do the visualization of the merit field according to your own mental disposition.

At this point, it is very effective to reflect upon the exceptional qualities of the path, starting from the sravaka¹ level, first reflecting upon the realization of the sravaka on the path of accumulation²: his force of wisdom, meditative stabilization, morality, and so forth. You will be able to see that these forces increase on the higher path, eventually leading to the completely enlightened state. Then you will be able to understand the unsurpassable quality of buddhahood, as explained in Ratnavali, Uttaratantra, Madhyamakāvatāra, Abhisamayalankara, and similar texts. This understanding will help you to develop a very strong conviction and faith in the Buddha. Reflect that although all sentient beings have these objects of refuge, if they do not realize their great significance and capacity, then how can they take refuge in them? As a result, they are tormented and plunged into the confusion of cyclic existence. Pray that, from now on, just as you undertake the practice of refuge, may all sentient beings equally have such realizations.

After having undertaken the practice of refuge, you should observe the precepts of refuge, the abandonments and the affirmations. All these precepts should be studied from Lamrim Chenmo by Lama Tsongkhapa. This text is like the constitution; it is very important, and you should study and practice it. Path to Bliss, on which you are receiving teachings right now, should be taken as a key with which you can unlock the treasure found in Lamrim Chenmo.

As a precept of taking refuge, you should never indulge in the business of selling statues and scriptures for profit, and you should never talk of or judge the value of statues on the basis of their material. Whether they are made of clay or any precious material, they should be treated equally. Also observe the precept of seeing the distinctive features of the Buddhist master and the doctrine. Among all the precepts of taking refuge, the most important is to observe the law of causality, living your life with awareness of the laws of karma.

Also reflect upon the fact that all the Buddha’s activities are motivated by his great compassion and that the essence of his doctrine is to be compassionate and to work for others. The gist of his message to the world is the practice of a kind heart. A kind heart and altruism bring about a positive atmosphere around the person who practices them. Even a gentle dog makes people around it feel comfortable, whereas a very aggressive dog will make people cautious and apprehensive. Such is true also of human beings: when your companions are calm and gentle and warm-hearted, you can rely on them and trust them. Human beings are social animals who depend for their survival on others’ cooperation and assistance. So it is better not to have a companion at all than to have one who is very aggressive and harmful. You can never rely on such a person but always have to be suspicious and apprehensive about him or her. And conversely, if your own character and personality is such that all people avoid you, that is very sad. Therefore, a kind heart and compassion are the real sources of peace and happiness; this compassion, when you enhance it to its fullest potential by employing the right skillful means though meditation, marks the realization of a universal compassion. When such a compassion is further complemented by the factors of wisdom and intelligence, then you will achieve a state called buddhahood in which you totally sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others; such a compassion and kind heart are really priceless and most precious.

So, when you have developed a strong force of taking refuge in the Three Jewels, you should, as an expression of your mental attitude, recite the refuge formula. Repeat the recitation, and when you find that you begin to lose the force of your contemplation, leave the repetition for a while and again reinforce your contemplation, reflecting upon the great kindness of the master Buddha and the great qualities of the dharma and so forth. You should undertake your practice in such a manner. Normally, if you have someone in whom you have great confidence and to whom you entrust yourself, you will be able to follow with greater willingness and delight the advice that he gives to you. Similarly, the more you feel confidence in the Three Jewels, particularly the Buddha, the more forceful your refuge in them becomes. You feel closer to a being such as the Buddha and, from the depths of your heart, will be able to have deep conviction and confidence in such a person. As a result, naturally your admiration for that person will increase and you will emulate his noble example. As a result, whenever you are faced with circumstances where you might engage in negative actions, you will naturally restrain yourself from them, thinking, “I should not do that as it is against the ideals of the Buddha and his doctrine, and I am a spiritual person, a bhikshu, so I should refrain from such actions.” Such a restraint would eventually extend even to your thoughts in dreams as well. Restraint from negative actions marks the realization of having sought refuge; refuge has reinforced your courage to do positive actions and weakened your boldness to indulge in negative actions.

The root of the Buddha’s doctrine is compassion and the practice of non-harming. Since you claim to be a practitioner of this doctrine, you should keep the essential precept of taking refuge in the dharma: never to indulge in actions harmful to others, even to small animals. For example, it is beneficial to save animals who are in danger of being killed. If you can help them, do it, but if not, at least never harm them.

As a precept of taking refuge in the spiritual community, you should not associate yourself with people who are not dharma practitioners. Even someone wearing the smallest patch of yellow robes should be respected. Since the spiritual community is regarded as an object of refuge, its members have a great responsibility to live exemplary lives. On their part, they should make themselves worthy of such respect. It is very important to make the effort. There has never been a being, no matter how great his or her spiritual realizations—Aryadeva or Nagarjuna or even the Buddha himself—who was totally enlightened and free of faults at birth. Just because you have weaknesses and faults, you should not feel discouraged and careless, saying, “I have these faults and cannot help it.” Rather, you should feel that you also have the natural notion of “self” that serves as the basis of the instinctive wish to attain happiness and avoid suffering. If you try to transform yourself for the better, there is a possibility of reducing your chances of suffering in the future and increasing your chances for happiness. On the part of the lay community, it is important to respect the spiritual community.

Of all the practices, the most important factor is to have the altruistic attitude, which is the essence of the doctrine. It is also the key to a happy and successful society. You should have a kind heart and never harm others. I say this whenever I meet people, because I have a deep conviction in these principles and find them very effective and beneficial, and think the same will be true for others. If someone lacks a kind heart and the altruistic motivation and internally has a very negative mind, even though he might be a spiritual practitioner like a bhikshu in external appearance, it is most unbecoming. From all perspectives—religious or political or worldly—a kind heart and altruism are like a living jewel, the wish-granting jewel. The meditation on compassion is therefore most important, not only for those who have great knowledge of dharma, but also for those who lack such knowledge.