Buddha Dharma |
(prelude)
Without taking refuge, Even one who understands the Buddha’s teaching can only be an amateur. A Buddhist scholar is not a Buddhist. Through the differences between practices of lay people and that of monks we get to know the power of the Three Jewels and to obtain the benefits of the Buddha’s teachings. After one’s taking refuge in the Three Jewels, with the power of the Buddha，the Dharma and the Sangha, the karmic hindrances can be gradually eliminated and one won’t be hurt by ghosts and gods from miserable realms. Lack of faith, One could not recognize the good qualities of the Three Jewels. Although bogged down into the mire, if one doesn’t reach out his hands of faith, Even the Buddha could do no help. The cultivation of intrinsic faith is essential. Reflection: What are the signs of having no resolve in taking refuge? What are the benefits of going for refuge? (main text) So the three refuges is to heal one’s illness of afflictive and karmic hindrances, because to end suffering means to remove all the afflictive and karmic hindrances. The thought of eliminating afflictions and negative karma, is connected to the sick-person-thinking among the six ideas. According to the sick-person-thinking, doctors, medicines, nurses, etc. are indispensable, if anyone of them is absent , it is difficult to cure the disease. The Buddha’s teaching works in this way. The Three Jewels are all included in the six ideas. Without the Three Jewels, it is difficult to remove our hindrances. It is true for both monks, And lay Buddhists. We get to rely on the power of the Three Jewels. Because nowadays as mentioned above, technologies are well-developed, many people have sutras at home, all kinds of scriptures, such as sutras, precepts and treaties, even The Tripitaka (the Great Buddhist Canon), and different variations of The Tipitaka. However, they hold that they have already owned the sutras, as well as the Buddha statues, haven’t they? So one might think , “I can read and understand Buddhism,” he might also think that perhaps even many monks, do not understand Buddhism better than he does. But as I always say, I say,” there is one thing that you don’t have in your house. You don’t have any monk in your house.” You have the Buddha, the teachings, but no monks. Without monks, you don’t own the Three Jewels as a whole. The monks play the most important role. Buddhism is carried forward, explained and guided by the monks step by step, so the significance and good qualities of the monks is extraordinarily great. As we going for refuge to the Three Jewels, first of all, we should deeply realize the nature of the good qualities of the Buddha, the teaching and the Sangha or in other words, their intrinsic good qualities do really exist. So many and so good merits and virtues that are achievable and attainable. But if these virtues are out of reach and unattainable, then these virtues don’t matter to us. Now, as we know these virtues, we have them in sight. These virtues are achievable, so how to gain them? Well, we should go and ask for it, then we can gain the benefits of Buddhism But if we don’t go and ask for it, we might as well sometimes go to gods or to fortune tellers, or perhaps to some other ghosts. In society I frequently meet with different sorts of people. Some rich one, after he died, his family does not only ask Buddhist monks to chant for the dead, but also invite Taoist clergy , Imams, Pastors, and Catholic priests. He thought that this is the safest way to ensure the dead to go to heaven, or Pure Land, or some other good places. After all, he has invited various religious clergy. It is rather strange, isn’t it? Let’s suppose, when a man died, if through Buddhist ceremonies, he can be able to go to heaven and to eliminate his own karma, Then kings, millionaires and multimillionaires in society don’t need to practice Buddhism at all. For in the end, he can ascend by just asking someone to perform the Buddhist ceremonies. If he views faith like that, he is not yet taking refuge. He does not resolve to take refuge. If he has the resolution, he won’t believe in non-Buddhists. If one accepts non-Buddhists views, it means that he has doubts about Buddha’s teachings. doesn’t he? Sure he does. Only in doubt will one seeks help from non-Buddhist services. So if he takes refuge in the Three Jewels, “those who go to the Buddha for refuge, they never go to other deities for refuge; those who go to the sublime teaching for refuge, they never go to non-Buddhist scriptures for refuge; those who go to the community for refuge, they never go to non-Buddhist philosophers for refuge. ” isn’t it right? For one who takes refuge, he has already recognized the differences between Buddhist and non-Buddhist teachings, and has made his choice. What are the benefits of going for refuge? The benefits of going for refuge fall into eight kinds: First of all, after refuge, we are really included among Buddhists. Without taking refuge, no matter how much one know about Buddhology, he is only an amateur, or a Buddhist scholar. He is not included among Buddhists. Then only after we take refuge, can we receive precepts, for example the five precepts, eight precepts, or ten precepts, Bhikshu precepts, Bhikshuni precepts, or Bodhisattva precepts. We have to take refuge before receiving precepts, definitely. In other words, without going for refuge， One can not receive any Buddhist precepts. Going for refuge is the prerequisite of receiving precepts. Thirdly, after taking refuge, with the power of the Three Jewels--the Buddha, the teaching and the community, our hindrances of bad actions can be eliminated gradually. It is because we have the power of the Three Jewels within us. So fourthly, after taking refuge, we will not be hurt by ghosts and gods from miserable realms. Well fifthly, Taking refuge, will enable us to have a lofty aspiration and to generate religious feelings. If one doesn’t go for refuge honestly, He will not have any aspiration, nor any resolve, nor any religious feeling. As a result,religious feelings and religious sentiments will not be manifested in him in the end. Those religious, Buddhist belief, those feelings reveals true inward feelings, not feigned. Feigning works for only once or twice occasionally. How can one be pretending for his whole life? Only if one holds truly in his heart such feelings, such compassionate feelings and respectful feelings for the Three Jewels can he think, speak and act in accordance with the Three Jewels. Without these true inward feelings, conforming to the Three Jewels is impossible. Sixthly, after taking refuge, we can constantly accumulate our merits and virtues. And seventhly, after taking refuge, one will not fall into the three miserable realms. And finally, after taking refuge, one will find it very easy to make progress in learning the Buddha’s teaching. So going for refuge is very important. Well, how shall we take refuge? People often recite: Taking refuge in the Buddha, Taking refuge in the Dharma, Taking refuge in the Sangha. Which is merely verbal description for refuge, isn’t it? Just the three lines. What is taking refuge in the true sense of the word? That is, the aforementioned faith that one has in the Three Jewels, only through which can one get protection from the Three Jewels of the Buddha, the teaching and the Sangha. But if our inner faith, is not strong enough, the extrinsic Three Jewels of the Buddha, the teaching and the Sangha, and their good qualities, won’t go into our hearts. It is just like that one falls into a mire If he wants to get saved and protected, first of all, he need to stretch out his hands upward. Only in this way, can the Buddha’s hands, the hands of the Three Jewels pull him up, And pull him out. If our hands of faith are not stretched out, if we don’t generate the faith within, Even the Buddha could do no help. To sum up, On one hand, the internal cultivation of faith Is of the most importance. on the other hand, we should gradually and constantly cultivate and accumulate our faith in the Three Jewel
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