A few years ago, a Buddhist friend of mine told me that there would be a refuge taking ceremony, and encouraged me to take part. Upon hearing that, I nearly fell on floor laughing.
I had taken refuge in Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha countless of time. I could even recite the relevant verses plus the Five Precepts in Pali, one of two languages in which Buddhist scriptures were written. (The other one was Sanskrit.)
Many Buddhists have the perception that refuge taking is a one-time process, not unlike baptism in Christianity. Without formally taking refuge in the Triple Gem, one is not considered a Buddhist. A monastery in
The truth is: we can take refuge in the Triple Gem over and over again. Well, at least this is the case in Theravada Buddhism, the tradition I am most familiar with. Each time we take refuge, we strengthen our faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.
The same goes for Five Precepts. We are not perfect. We occasionally lie due to lack of security. We drink because of peer pressure. Each time we recite the Five Precepts, we remind ourselves the importance of virtue.
On the other hand, if we haven’t formally taken refuge, are we Buddhists? I guess that intention, rather than outward form, is most important. Ceremonies or rituals are therefore unnecessary. They do, nonetheless, signify our commitment to the path of wisdom.
6 comments:
err, religion things are quite hard to be interpreted precisely. However, most important thing to me is the thought and action that's count (just my personal opinion).
Kai,
I agree with you.
By the way, thanks for dropping by. Please check out my other blog too.
Thanks for alerting me to your new site. I'll make a point of checking in. "Taking refuge" is a wonderful concept. It's not something I have done myself, in any formal way--as you've probably noticed, I have difficulty calling myself a "Buddhist," even though I follow a daily meditation practice and subscribe to almost all the Buddhist teachings, at least those I know! As I mentioned yesterday in The Buddha Diaries, I have a long-standing aversion to "establishment" of any kind. It's something I keep working on... Blessings, PaL
Peter,
I can understand what you feel. It also took me a few years before I called myself a Buddhist.
A highly formalized, once-in-a-lifetime refuge taking ceremony can scare off new comers. A less formalized recitation that can be done over and over again could be more suitable.
In one sutta, it is said that if a person takes refuge in Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, he/she is a disciple of Buddha. If one also observes 5 precepts, one is a virtuous disciple. You can decide for yourself whether you want to be just a disciple or a virtuous disciple. There is no compulsion.
(Can't remember what sutta is that. You can ask Than Geoff.)
hi you, im a theravadian buddhist too. my boss is not in, but i think the local price is only about RM1000 plus....its the system thats expensive, like the big screen, good sound system etc etc!!~
fei wen,
Thanks...
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