Today we will consider what it means to have Buddha Refuge which is the final component of the Happiness Map.

We don't worship Buddha or any other being. We have respect for Buddha. We respect the qualities of the Buddha and what he did in his life. We identify with the will of the Prince Siddhartha who dedicated his life to finding out about the truth of life itself. We identify with the journey he undertook which resulted in him becoming awakened or enlightened.

We are all on a journey in our lives, perhaps many journeys within one life. For Buddhists having refuge in the Buddha is a statement that we want our personal journey in life to be that of becoming awakened. That we recognise our life is an opportunity to overcome suffering for ourselves completely and perhaps, help others to do the same.

So refuge in the Buddha is like the compass bearing we have set for ourselves in life. We choose to journey towards enlightenment because for us we are using our life for something of great value and meaning.

If our Happiness Map does not have Buddha Refuge in it the destination of our journey will end up being completely different. As we practice the other components of our Happiness Map we create so many good kammic causes for our future. However just like we have a choice in life to spend our money to buy anything we want, so we can spend these good kammic causes or merit to get whatever we want.

So it is our refuge in Buddha that sets the direction our good causes will take us. Taking refuge in Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha makes many kammic connections to Buddha Dhamma so that we can meet it again and again in the future until we complete the Buddhist Path.

Without that refuge our merit could take us to a destination such as a birth in a high heaven with no knowledge of the Buddha Path, or perhaps many human lives of great wealth and comfort. We can all appreciate such lives could be wonderful to experience but there comes a day when that good kamma has been used up, and as our merit bank account eventually runs dry we will have nothing whatsoever to show for our past efforts. Instead we use much of our merit to help us progress on the Buddhist Path.

Buddha refuge sets you in the right direction to nibbana. It functions like a rudder on a boat, it sets the right direction. Without Buddha refuge you cannot guarantee that you will access nibbana. You may get to some form of peace and happiness, but it will not be nibbana, it will not be everlasting. Buddha refuge clicks you into the Buddha Sasene, which is this Buddha Teaching age.

So, what does Buddha Refuge mean?

Does it mean bowing down to a Buddha image or to an altar? No, it means protecting ourselves from doing harmful actions.

The Dhamma Chakra, or Dhamma Wheel used by many Buddhist temples and Centres, is a representation of Buddha Refuge.

The hub, the centre represents the Buddha, who comes into the world and accesses the Dhamma and teaches it. The eight spokes of the wheel represents the Eight-fold Path, the teachings that once applied have brought others to know what the Buddha found out.

The rim of the wheel represents the beings in the world that practice the Dhamma - and this is what keeps the Dhamma in the world. The community of monks, nuns and laypersons who practice. These are called the Sangha.

The Dhamma Chakra also represents the fact that once the Dhamma teachings are in the world, one person, by teaching another sets off the process of awakening that is unstoppable. So the first teaching given by the Buddha after his awakening is called the Dhammacakkapavattana sutta, this is referred to as the first turning of the wheel of Dhamma. It is the first time the Buddha taught the Dhamma and someone understood it.

So we take refuge in the Triple Gem or the three jewels. The Buddha Jewel, the Dhamma Jewel and the Sangha Jewel.

The Buddha Jewel is the fact that the Buddha exists. It is referred to as a jewel because it is something precious, not easily found, rare. To be like the Buddha is what we have been looking for. A state we can be completely happy and peaceful forever, and never loose.

The Dhamma jewel is called a jewel because the teachings given by the Buddha are rare to find. They are only available during a Buddha Sasene (in Pali) which means a Buddha Teaching Age. This Age begins when a Buddha sets the 'Wheel of Dhamma' in motion by giving the first teaching that awakens another being. The Buddha Sasene is also impermanent – it lasts a specific time. Our Buddha Sasene lasts 5000 years. It is predicted to end in about 2,500 years from now. The Dhamma or Teachings are precious because they are the teachings that will wake you up to develop compassion and insight wisdom that will eventually bring you to nibbana.

The Sangha Jewel is called a jewel because it is precious and rare to find. A community of Monks and Nuns and laypersons who follow the Buddha's teachings can only exist during a Buddha Sasene or Buddha Teaching era. The beings who are following the teachings can be seen to develop compassion and insight wisdom and are on their way to nibbana and to becoming a Buddha.

Finally, having Buddha refuge, or going for Buddha refuge or taking Buddha refuge means that you have come to see that this is the only logical thing for you to do – test out the Buddha Path, so you can see for yourself.

What does it mean to test out the Buddha Path?

To test out the Buddha Path means that you take the position "I will do no actions with my body, speech or mind that will cause harm to myself or others" and " I will make the causes necessary to become awakened". There is no-one keeping check on you, it is a resolution that you make to yourself. There is no-one keeping score for you.

Having Buddha Refuge means that you train yourself to become harmless ( ahimsa in pali), meaning not harming self or others.

How do you know what is harmful? The Buddha's teachings have lists of wrong actions to be avoided.

How do you know what actions to do to become awakened? The Buddha's teachings provide lists known as the Eight fold Noble Path, The Ten Perfections.

This is the promise of Buddha Dhamma, the Buddha's Teachings. They promise that if you make the right causes you will start to wake up. You will start to see for yourself. You will develop insight wisdom and eventually become fully awake. You will no longer be duped by your own perceptions and opinions, you will no longer be duped by your kammic disposition.

BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI : I GO TO THE BUDDHA FOR REFUGE

This means that you have decided to follow the Buddha. To become like Buddha. It does not mean that you worship the Buddha – it means that you hold the Buddha in highest respect, and you have decided to follow him to be like him. You want to find out the truth about the nature of all things just as he did, and you will not stop until you find this truth for yourself.

DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI : I GO TO THE DHAMMA FOR REFUGE

You have decided to go for the truth – the Dhamma – your goal is now to reach nibbana. You have heard that the Buddha's teaching can take you to nibbana. You will follow the teachings until you experience nibbana. You will maintain the Right View – from the law of kamma arises our reality, and because of this you know that you can change to perfect the qualities that will bring you to nibbana.

SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI : I GO TO THE SANGHA FOR REFUGE

You will respect other persons who are following the Dhamma. You will seek out and share your knowledges and help persons who are doing the same as you. You will put the Buddha’s teachings into practice every day, you will live the teachings.

Buddha refuge means protection, just as the word refuge itself means that which affords protection or shelter.

Protection from what? Protection from our own harmful actions.

Buddha refuge stops you doing the wrong actions. The actions that will result in harm to self or others, now or in the future. Having refuge protects you because you are saying that you hold the truth above everything else, the law of kamma and the way out of suffering, the practice to nibbana.

When someone is yelling at you – you take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha instead of yelling back. You take refuge in the teachings regarding harmless speech which means you choose to not yell back. This is how your refuge protects you. It gives you a wholesome response to follow. You make a positive affirmation when you go to Buddha refuge.

It does not mean to become a martyr. You practice not going to anger or hate when others are not being kind. You understand that it is your kamma. However, if they continue, you must get out of the way. Sometimes the kamma is too strong. Our Teacher John Hughes use to say, "If you see a steam roller coming down the road, you don't stand there and say 'oh well, its my kamma', you jump out of the way onto the footpath." If people continue harming you and you are trying everything you can, get out of the way, practice avoidance of the topic or situation. It is not only the harm to yourself, but it protects persons from continuing to do harm to you. They are making unwholesome kamma for themselves.

Buddha refuge protects you because it means you remember the law of kamma, that whatever I experience is the result of my past actions. I am inheriting the causes I have made in the past. My kamma is forcing me to see the situation as unpleasant. If you can hold this thought in your mind instead of producing hate or jealousy or envy or anger then you are not making more negative kamma. You are sowing the seeds of wisdom in your kammic stream, so that when a similar situation occurs in the future, the seeds of wisdom that you sowed earlier will arise as well, and thus protect you from making negative kamma (actions) by reacting back in a negative way.

The Oxford English Dictionary's definition of the word refuge is: shelter; protection from danger; succour sought by or rendered to a person; refuge adapted or intended for shelter or protection; as in city, country, harbour, port, places of refuge, also house of refuge; a place of safety or security; a shelter, stronghold, asylum or establishment that offers shelter and protection.

Buddha Dhamma means 'truth' or 'teachings' as taught by the Buddha. So Buddha Refuge or Buddha Dhamma refuge can be literally translated into " the teachings or truth that bring or provide protection or shelter."

Buddha refuge means that you will stop defilements and increase wholesomeness in your mind. It is our mind action that produces the strongest kamma.

Our kamma follows us wherever we go. We cannot hide from our kamma. When a kammic seed has ripened it will fruit. If it is unpleasant to us, there is one powerful thing we can do, we can go for refuge. We can recall that this event is the result of my kamma, we can act to not re-make the same kamma and in this way stop it coming back in the future. If someone yells at us and we yell back, we are making the kamma to get yelled at again.

I am the Owner of my kamma
heir to my kamma
born of my kamma
related to my kamma
live with my kamma
whatever kamma I shall do, whether good or evil, that shall be inherited.

We want to give you some explanation of some of the factors which can help us in our Buddhist practice.What are the benefits of hearing monks chant?

Venerable Piyadassi writes:

It is the same when laypersons such as ourselves chant. The Buddha Dhamma is the truth about the world, so by chanting the suttas and protection discourses we make causes to understand the truth they contain and create causes to continue to receive the truth in future times.

While chanting or listening to the Dhamma our minds are focusing on wholesome things, thus it makes causes to have wholesome minds arise now and in the future. What are the benefits of chanting a Buddhist mantra?

Mantra means empowered word or words. They are empowered because they have special meaning to you, therefore you do need to understand the meaning of the words. Then you can look behind the intellectual meaning to the insight meaning of the words. It's like the mantra leads you to the knowledge that's contained in the mantra.

Mantras can be used as a form of meditation to concentrate your mind on the holy words, or statements of truth, or in devotion to an enlightened being to request help or offer praise. It's like calling them to come to you.

By chanting or saying mantras, you are putting holy words in the world, you are generating thoughts in the world that are wholesome, good, beneficial, loving, peaceful. You are doing this with intention. This creates positive energy around you. Other beings, heavenly beings, insects, animals and other human beings can sense this good energy and are drawn to this loving and caring energy. You are creating goodness in the world.

Some mantras that are commonly used are:

Praising the Buddha and calling the Buddha always helps calm the mind with this chant :

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhasa

Refuge can also be used as a Mantra:

Buddham Saranam Gacchami
Dhammam Saranam Gacchami
Sangham Saranam GacchamiThis is refuge in the sanskrit language: Namo Buddhaya
Namo Dhammaya
Namo Sanghaya

Five Precepts can be used as a mantra to counteract defilements arsing in one's mind. The precepts are very helpful to recall as they calm the mind.

In Buddhism just as there are persons in human birth who have attained very high levels of enlightenment, so too in the heaven births there are some beings who are fully awake. Some Buddhist traditions request heavenly enlightened beings to help them in their Dhamma practice. There are many ways in which these heavenly beings can guide and protect human practitioners.

As an example, we can request Bodhisattva Tara in the Tibetan tradition to come to ones aid using the mantra:

Om Tara Tuttare Ture Svaha

which means 'swiftly with boldness remove the distress in my mind and replace it with compassion and wisdom'. It becomes an instruction to your own mind and a wish that this may happen for all beings. If one chants Tara's mantra, it will help you with achieving what you need.

Mantra for Padmasambhava: Master of the Vajrayana Lineage. Padmasambhava took the Buddha's teachings to Tibet. It is said that if one chants his mantra it will bring to fruit your wish to become enlightened.Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum

Mantra for Quan Yin: Bodhisattva of Compassion and Mercy. Whenever you need help in a difficult situation, this mantra will call Quan Yin, a female Bodhisattva. (knower or holder of wisdom compassion) She is known to help to those who are in great need. Namo Quan Yin Pusa

What is the purpose of a Buddhist altar?

Making a space where the objects that represent the truth to you, are respected and preserved, creates a very positive energy that generates health and nourishes our wholesome minds, our minds that are searching for truth.

A Buddhist altar is an environment we create which represents our commitment and respect for the Buddha, the Teachings of the Buddha called the Dhamma and the Members of the Buddha's Noble community called the Sangha.

The Buddha image represents what we are striving to become as a Buddhist. It is one thing in the world which represents the good qualities of heart and mind which we respect, honour and work our way towards perfecting in ourselves.

On the subject, Venerable Piyadassi writes:

OfferingsWe make offerings on our altars for many reasons.

One is to perfect the practice of giving which is one of the Ten Perfections that we must do to help us wake up.

We offer flowers, water, incense and light, to Buddha. Not because Buddha needs them, but because we need them. In accordance with the law of cause and effect, the only way to make sure you will continue to get something is to give it away.

So these offerings represent the four great elements; flowers are earth element mainly, incense smoke is air element mainly, water is water element mainly, and light is fire element mainly.

The Buddha taught that all material phenomena is made of water element, fire element, earth element and air element. We know that we will need these elements for our future existence, tomorrow and beyond. So we make sure we offer them every day on our altars, to continue to have them.

We collect merit and wisdom from these offerings – merit from giving and sharing these merits and wisdom from doing the offering with the correct view about cause and effect.

Making offerings in this way will generate much merit and wisdom and ensure we continue to get the things we need for our living and awakening. It is very important for us to get what we need so we can continue giving and sharing for our practice.

We then dedicate our merits for what we need in the present – good health, good job, waking up, etc.Dedication of merits

Our teacher taught us to make sure we dedicate our merits at the end of our chanting. We dedicate our merit to what we need and wish for. Otherwise the merit can flow on to unwholesome minds and make them strong – which is what we do not want. Our merit is mental wealth and, similar to money in the bank, it can be spent on anything whatsoever. Therefore the dedication is used to link the merit to something worthwhile or beneficial for ourself or others.

We recommend you dedicate your merits by writing it down so that you can be clear in what you will use it for such as in the following example:

60% towards my Buddha Dhamma practice - to help my learning and understanding
10% towards my health and wellbeing
10% towards my family’s health and wellbeing
10% towards my work relations and conditions
10% towards living and working in peaceful locations

This script was written and produced by Anita Carter, Frank Carter and Melba Nielson.

References

1. Piyadassi, Thera. 1991. The Spectrum of Buddhism. Published by the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, 11th Floor, 55, Hang Chow S.Rd, Sec 1, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C.