Teaching on Taking Refuge 皈依開示

Taking Refuge – The first step of Buddhist Practice

To become a Buddhist, one must first take refuge. This is because all beings share a common aspiration—to seek happiness and be free from suffering. However, ultimate happiness can only be attained by taking refuge in the perfectly enlightened Buddha and following the teachings (Dharma) he revealed. Taking refuge is the first step on the path and the seed for future liberation.

The nature of samsara (cyclic existence) is suffering. Within the six realms of existence, there is no true, lasting happiness. Even those with great fortune, even heavenly beings, cannot escape suffering. Lower realm beings experience unimaginable torment, endless and vast. If we deeply reflect on the sufferings of samsara, we will naturally develop a fear of suffering and seek liberation. This leads us to earnestly seek refuge in a true protector.

The only beings truly capable of saving us are the Three Jewels—the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is like being drowned in the ocean—only someone who has safely reached the shore can rescue us. Those still adrift in the waves cannot provide true help.

Therefore, the Three Jewels are our only ultimate refuge. Having the rare opportunity to take refuge in Buddhism in this life, we should cherish it deeply and dedicate ourselves to practice.

The Buddha attained enlightenment countless eons ago. Out of great compassion, he reappeared in the world in the form of a Bodhisattva, generating the aspiration for Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings. Over countless lifetimes, he practiced the Six Perfections (Paramitas), accumulating immeasurable merit and wisdom.

Finally, over 2,500 years ago, he was born into our world—a world filled with desire, hatred, ignorance, and suffering—and attained perfect enlightenment (Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi). He continuously guides and liberates countless beings, even in this difficult world. The Buddha’s kindness is inexpressible, and his merit is beyond measure.

Buddha’s Body Speech and Mind

The Buddha’s qualities can be understood through these three aspects:

1. The Buddha’s Physical Excellence (Body)
The Buddha possesses 32 major marks and 80 minor characteristics of perfection. His appearance naturally inspires great joy in those who see him. His body radiates immeasurable light, resembling the brilliance of the sun. He has a majestic crown protuberance (ushnisha) and naturally manifests Dharma wheels on his hands.

Even tiny beings beneath his feet are unharmed when he walks; instead, they experience profound peace and happiness and gain blessings that help them avoid rebirth in lower realms. These extraordinary qualities arise from the Buddha’s complete accumulation of merit over countless lifetimes.

2. The Buddha’s Perfection of Speech (Speech)
The Buddha’s speech possesses 60 extraordinary qualities, such as the ability to speak in one voice, yet every listener hears teachings in their own language. Regardless of distance, all beings clearly understand his words without obstruction. These are just some of the miraculous attributes of the Buddha’s perfected speech.

3. The Buddha’s Perfect Wisdom and Compassion (Mind)
The Buddha possesses flawless wisdom and boundless compassion. His omniscient wisdom fully comprehends the true nature of all phenomena. There is nothing beyond his understanding.

His great compassion sees all sentient beings without distinction—he makes no separation between near and far, loved and unloved. His only concern is how to liberate more beings from suffering. As long as beings have even the slightest aspiration for liberation, the Buddha does everything in his power to help them. These supreme qualities of wisdom and compassion are the Buddha’s perfections of mind.

Dharma

The Dharma is like a ship that carries us across the ocean of suffering in samsara. After attaining perfect wisdom and understanding emptiness, the Buddha realized how to eradicate afflictions and karmic obstacles and how to cultivate spiritual realization. Through this, he fully understood the truth of cessation and the path and expounded vast and profound teachings to guide beings toward liberation. By following the Dharma as taught by the Buddha, we too can gradually eliminate mental afflictions and karmic hindrances, develop wisdom and realization, and ultimately attain Buddhahood, freeing ourselves from samsara.

Sangha

The Sangha serves as guides and companions on our journey to liberation. If we were to travel to an unfamiliar place without a guide, it would be difficult to reach our destination. Similarly, on the path of practice, we need the guidance of noble Sangha members to prevent laziness, misdirection, and obstacles.

The true Sangha refers to those who have transcended attachment and realized emptiness. In Theravāda Buddhism, this refers to Arahants (those who have attained liberation), while in Mahayana Buddhism, it refers to Bodhisattvas from the first bhumi (stage) and beyond. Because of their wisdom and experience, we take refuge in the Sangha for guidance.

Taking refuge must include all Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—for it to be complete and truly beneficial. 

Without the Buddha as our teacher, we could not find the path to liberation.

Without the Dharma, the teachings of cessation and the path, how could we practice? How could we eliminate afflictions and attain wisdom?

Without the Sangha as guides and companions, we would struggle when encountering doubts and difficulties, making realization impossible.

Therefore, only by taking refuge in all Three Jewels can we truly progress toward liberation and Buddhahood.

Medical Treatment Analogy 

The Buddha is like a doctor, diagnosing and prescribing the cure for suffering.

The Dharma is like medicine, which, when practiced diligently, heals our deep-rooted afflictions and karmic obstacles.

The Sangha is like nurses, assisting and guiding us through the healing process.
By taking refuge in the Three Jewels, following the Buddha’s teachings with diligence, and accepting the guidance of the Sangha, we can eradicate suffering at its root and attain true and lasting happiness.

The Practice of Taking Refuge

Now, visualize the image of Shakyamuni Buddha before you, appearing as if the Buddha were truly present. Around him are sacred scriptures representing the Dharma, and he is surrounded by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from all directions and across time. With deep reverence and sincerity, make prayers while contemplating the immeasurable suffering of samsara, thereby generating an urgent longing for liberation—this is the true essence of taking refuge.

Beyond visualizing the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we must regard our spiritual teacher as inseparable from the Buddha. Since we lack the karmic fortune to meet the historical Buddha directly, and even if he were to manifest before us, our deep-rooted karmic obscurations might prevent us from recognizing him. Thus, it is the teacher who embodies the Three Jewels, correctly expounds the Buddha’s teachings, and guides us on the path to enlightenment. For this reason, we should revere the teacher as the Buddha himself and listen to his instructions with deep devotion.

Merits of Taking Refuge

Taking refuge brings great merit. Since we accept the Buddha as our ultimate teacher, we must develop unwavering faith in him. If we sincerely maintain our faith in the Three Jewels from this moment until death, we will not fall into the lower realms in our next life but instead be reborn in a fortunate human or celestial realm. Because this merit is so extraordinary, even in times of great hardship, we should never abandon our faith in the Three Jewels.

After Taking Refuge

Having taken refuge in the Buddha, we must treat all Buddha images, statues, and photographs as if they were the actual Buddha, offering them proper respect and reverence. We should not seek refuge in non-Buddhist deities, as they themselves are still trapped in samsara and cannot lead us to liberation.

Having taken refuge in the Dharma, we must treat all Buddhist scriptures with utmost respect, keeping them in clean and elevated places. We must also refrain from harming living beings, as doing so contradicts the principle of nonviolence.

Having taken refuge in the Sangha, we must honor and respect monastics, who serve as guides on the path. We should avoid forming close friendships with those who reject the Three Jewels, as such associations could gradually weaken our faith, leading to spiritual harm rather than benefit.

As Buddhists, we must follow the Buddha’s teachings. The essence of the Dharma lies in understanding cause and effect, abandoning negative actions that create suffering, and cultivating pure virtuous deeds that lead to happiness. Through this practice, we gradually eliminate afflictions and karmic obstacles, ultimately attaining supreme peace and liberation.

Concluding Remarks

This concludes a brief explanation on the significance of taking refuge. May everyone cherish this rare and precious opportunity, generate great joy, and diligently follow the teachings with sincerity—ensuring that this precious human life is not wasted!

The above is a translation from our Chinese webpage, based on original Tibetan teachings.