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Why we take Refuge in the Buddha

Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha to gain inspiration and right understanding for their self-purification and to affirm their confidence in the Buddha or to recall the Buddha to their minds.

BUDDHISTS do not take refuge in the Buddha with the belief that He is a God or son of God. The Buddha never claimed any divinity. He was the Enlightened One, the most Compassionate, Wise, and Holy One who ever lived in this world. Therefore, people take refuge in the Buddha as a Teacher or Master who has shown the real path of emancipation. They pay homage to Him to show their gratitude and respect, but they do not ask for material favours through Him. Buddhists do not pray to the Buddha thinking that He is a god who will reward them or punish them. They recite verses or some sutras not in the sense of supplication but as a means of recalling His great virtues and good qualities to get more inspiration and guidance for themselves and to develop the confidence to follow His Teachings so that they too could be like Him. There are critics who condemn this attitude of taking refuge in the Buddha. They do not know the true meaning of the concept of taking refuge in and paying homage to a great religious Teacher. They have learned about praying which is the only thing that some people do in the name of religion. When Buddhists seek refuge it means they accept the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha as the means through which they can eradicate all the causes of their fear and other mental disturbances. Many people, especially those with animistic1 beliefs, seek protection in certain objects around them which they believe are inhabited by spirits. Buddhist however, know that the only protection they can have is through a complete understanding of their own natures and eradicating their base instincts. To do this they place their confidence in the Buddha’s teachings and His Path, because this is the only way to true Emancipation and freedom from suffering.

The Buddha advised about the futility of taking refuge in hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines when people are fear-stricken.

No such refuge is safe, no such refuge is Supreme.
Not by resorting to such a refuge is one freed from all ill.
One who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha sees with right knowledge the Four Noble Truths—Sorrow, the cause of Sorrow, the transcending of Sorrow, and the Noble Eightfold Path which leads to the cessation of Sorrow.
This indeed is secure refuge.
By seeking such refuge one is released from all Sorrow.

(DHAMMAPADA 188-192)

In the DHAJAGGA SUTRA, it is mentioned that by taking refuge in Sakra, the king of gods or any god, the followers would not be free from all their worldly problems and fears. The reason is, such gods are themselves not free from lust, hatred, illusion and fear, but the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha are free from them. Only those who are free from unsatisfactoriness can show the way to lasting happiness.

Francis Story, a western Buddhist scholar, gives his views on seeking refuge in the Buddha.

‘I go for refuge to the Buddha. I seek the presence of the Exalted Teacher by whose compassion I may be guided through the torrents of Samsara, by whose serene countenance I may be uplifted from the mire of worldly thoughts and cravings, seeing there in the very assurance of Nirvanic Peace, which He himself attained. In sorrow and pain I turn to Him and in my happiness I seek His tranquil gaze. I lay before His Image not only flowers and incense, but also the burning fires of my restless heart, that they may be quenched and stilled. I lay down the burden of my pride and my selfhood, the heavy burden of my cares and aspirations, the weary load of this incessant birth and death.’

Sri Rama Chandra Bharati, an Indian poet, gives another meaningful reason for taking refuge in the Buddha.

‘I seek not thy refuge for the sake of gain,
Not fear of thee, nor for the love of fame,
Not as thou hailest from the solar race,
Not for the sake of gaining knowledge vast,
But drawn by the power of the boundless love,
And thy all-embracing peerless ken,
The vast Samsara’s sea safe to cross,
I bend low, O lord, and become thy devotee.’

Some people say that since the Buddha was only a man, there is no meaning in taking refuge in Him. But they do not know that although the Buddha very clearly said that He was a man, He was not an ordinary man like any of us. He was an extraordinary and incomparably holy person who possessed Supreme Enlightenment and great compassion toward every living being. He was a man freed from all human weaknesses, defilements and even from ordinary human emotions. Of Him it has been said, ‘There is none so godless as the Buddha, and yet none so godlike’. In the Buddha is embodied all the great virtues, sacredness, wisdom and enlightenment.

Another question that people very often raise is this: ‘If the Buddha is not a god, if He is not living in this world today, how can He bless people?’ According to the Buddha, if people follow His advice by leading a religious life, they would certainly receive blessings. Blessing in a Buddhist sense means the joy we experience when we develop confidence and satisfaction. The Buddha once said, ‘If anyone wishes to see me, he should look at My Teachings and practise them.’ (SAMYUTTA NIKAYA) Those who understand His Teachings easily see the real nature of the Buddha reflected in themselves. The image of the Buddha they maintain in their minds is more real than the image they see on the altar, which is merely a symbolic representation. ‘Those who live in accordance with the Dharma (righteous way of life) will be protected by that very Dharma’ (THERAGATHA). One who knows the real nature of existence and the facts of life through Dharma will not have any fear and will secure a harmonious way of life.

In other religions, people worship their God by asking for favours to be granted to them. Buddhists do not worship the Buddha to ask for worldly favours, but they respect Him for His supreme achievement. When Buddhists respect the Buddha, they are indirectly elevating their own minds so that one day they also can get the same enlightenment to serve mankind if they aspire to become a Buddha. Since the Buddha has been a human being, His experiences and achievements are the domain of all mortals. The Buddha’s Teachings are for all of us, and certainly not beyond our capabilities as ordinary mortals.

Buddhists respect the Buddha as their Master. However, this respect does not imply an attachment to or a dependence on the Teacher. This kind of respect is in accordance with His Teaching which is as follows:

‘Monks, even if a monk should take hold of the edge of My outer robe and should walk close behind me, step for step, yet if he should be covetous, strongly attracted by pleasures of the senses, malevolent in thought, of corrupt mind and purpose, of confused recollection, inattentive and not contemplative, scatter-brained, his sense-faculties uncontrolled, then he is far from Me and I am far from him.’
(SAMYUTTA NIKAYA)

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Editor's note

Editor's note 09-01-1

<<Назад Глава 9. Дхамма и мы сами как прибежище

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Редакция перевода от 01.07.2015 15:39