Good morning everyone. Today I would like to explain to everyone what is taking refuge.
Many people ask me what taking refuge is. Does that mean if not taking the refuge from Buddha,
Dharma, and the Sangha then cannot do any Buddhist practices including chanting Mantra or meditation?
The answer is no. Of course you can still practice meditation or chanting the Mantra
even though you decide not taking a refuge. So what is a Buddhist taking a refuge?
In simple way to explain is when we say taking refuge means taking the refuge from the Buddha,
taking a refuge from Dharma, taking the refuge from Sangha. Why need to taking a refuge and
what's the differences between taking and not taking a refuge if we do some Buddhist practices?
Taking a refuge means we decide and we make a determination I vow to turn myself
from an ordinary human to a cultivator and seeking for ultimate enlightenment.
I think that's the most important differences and the differentiation between taking the refuge
and the not taking refuge. So anyone can practice any meditation, Mantra, but taking a
refuge will have a very strong mind behavior. This internal decision determination I want to become
a mindful cultivator to seeking for ultimate enlightenment. This determination will drive us
to a more ultimate result. So that's why you will see a lot of Buddhist Sutra or a lot of Buddhists
are saying continue motivate us to take refuge from the Buddha, to Dharma, to Sangha. It means
I want to become enlightened ones one day. So that's the major differences.
So if any one of you are interested to taking a refuge become a true petitioner.
Where can you take refuge? There are several different methods. The first method is if you live
in a country a region where you have the Buddhist temple, doesn't matter in which
lineage or which Buddhist school you can take refuge from the Buddhist monk or Buddhist nun.
If you live in a place where you can approach to a Buddhist temple you take refuge from a Sangha.
Second if you live in a place which is a non-Buddhist country where there is no Buddhist
monk or nun in your region you are still able to become a Buddhist and take refuge from the Buddha
How can you do that? You can just simply to have a Buddha statue or a Buddha's Tanka and you recite a
short taking the refuge prayer and you can take a refuge directly from Ten Direction of Buddha
and Bodhisattva. This is a second method if you live in a non-Buddhist country and region.
The third you can take a refuge from a Master or guru or Buddhist practitioner through the Internet.
So that is the benefit of reborn in 21 century because we have this technology to support us so
there is several very different and easy approaches to receive our taking refuge vow. So what is the
taking refuge prayer? The taking refuge prayer in three major meanings. The first sentence:
I sincerely take refuge from Ten Direction of Buddha. The second phrase: I sincerely take
refuge from Ten Direction of the Buddha's teaching - Dharma. The third phrase: I sincerely
take refuge from Buddhist Sangha members. These three simple taking refuge sentences
actually cover a big meaning of it. What's the deep meaning of this taking a refuge of prayer?
In simple way to conclude is I decide to transform myself from an ordinary human toward
become a cultivator and continue to practice Six Paramita and ultimately want to attain
the awakened wisdom become Awakened Ones. So that is a summary meaning of these
three sentences of taking a refuge prayers. It's quite easy to just explain in words
what taking refuge means, but actually there's a lot of meaning beyond that. In the next video,
I'm going to break down in each word each sentence what the meaning of a taking refuge prayer is.
I wish you enjoyed my sharing today, and I welcome you to join me in the future. Thank you.