The Living Journal – Taking refuge, the gateway to our liberation.

Taking refuge in the Three Jewels [The triple gems]

The Three Refuge is to remind ourselves to endorse a right living and social responsibility. It is our aim to become living embodiment of the Three Jewels.

The first Jewel, Buddha - One who is fully awake and wise, so we learn to direct ourselves to awakening, keeping a mindful attitude, being compassionate in our everyday life.

The second Jewel, Dharma - Is universal truth, teaching and discipline, we learn to direct ourselves toward what is true and right, and shape our life accordingly.

The third Jewel, Sangha - Is the community of followers and non-followers. We learn to live in peace and harmony with all beings and dedicate ourselves to extending our loving kindness to all.

Buddhist five Precepts

All Buddhists live by the Five Precepts which are as follows:-

1. Refraining from killing and harming living beings.
2. Refraining from stealing.
3. Refraining from sexual misconduct.
4. Refraining from lying.
5. Refraining from intoxicating.

Prayer of taking refuge in Tibetan language

Sangye choe dang tsok kyi chok nam la

Jang chup bar du dak ni kyap su chi

Dak gi jin sok gyi pay sonam kyi

Dro la phen chir sangye drup par shok

Until becoming enlightened, I take refuge

In the Buddha, the Dharma and the supreme assembly

May the merit by practicing generosity and the other perfections

May I attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

The Tibetan also sometimes uses this Sanskrit language of taking refuge :-

Namo Buddhaya 

Namo Dharmaya 

Namo Sanghaya

I take refuge to the Buddha 

I take refuge to the Dharma 

I take refuge to the Sangha

The benefits of taking refuge

Taking Refuge in itself is a very important commitment and is the foundation of all practices. By taking refuge we are planting the seed of liberation within ourselves. We distance ourselves from the negative actions we have accumulated and develop more positive actions.(Unless otherwise that we don't practice and we don't live by the Five Precepts,and our negative actions can not be changed). 

It is not something you should do in an informal way. In order to carry out a trust connected with anything in your life; you need some commitment. For that reason if you desire to take Buddhism as your path to an enlightenment journey and support your life on Buddha’s doctrine, then certainly you have to make a form of commitment.

The commitment is resembling a declaration to study, to learn an understanding of how lives are seen through the principles of Buddhism. The commitments are not meant to isolate ourselves absent from the society. Taking refuge is the opposite and it is about learning how we can lead a more functional and constructive life and how we can make possible to create a more positive society. 

We enter the path for both our own self progress and, at the same time, to learn how to assist others. Buddhists can make a world of difference and contribute to the creation of a global society that would preserve the environmental integrity of our universe.

The taking refuge and the Five Precepts had provided us a spiritual focus on ethics and morality. One must do best to maintain and uphold the Buddhist Five Precepts. Peace, love and happiness form the basis for the true meaning of human life. For that reason, in order to make our lives meaningful and enriching we must discover peace, love and happiness in our everyday lives. The purpose of human life is to realize that all beings are an interconnected and interrelated whole, and to enter the non-dual gate to our liberation. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the precious Buddha’s precious Dharma and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

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Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful owners.