Refuge in the Three Jewels


Buddhist practice – in any Buddhist tradition – starts by taking refuge in the Three Jewels, that is in the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha: this is the gate through which one embarks on the Buddhist path, aiming to go beyond the suffering of cyclic existence.

Taking refuge in the Buddha means that the Buddhist practitioner generates deep appreciation and respect for buddha, the enlightened state with all its qualities of wisdom and compassion. He also takes refuge in Buddha Shakyamuni as the authentic spiritual master, as the one who has fully accomplished the state of awakening and therefore has the capacity to show this path to others and to guide them thereon.

Taking refuge in the dharma means that the practitioner dedicates himself to studying and applying the methods taught by the Buddha. This is the process which Buddha Shakyamuni himself has gone through. Applying his instructions means that the practitioner gradually removes all the veils that obscure the true nature of his basic Buddha-mind. In this way, the Buddha-dharma is the remedy against all samsaric delusions.

Taking refuge in the sangha pertains to those enlightened masters who themselves have practiced this path and are therefore authentic spiritual friends to other practitioners. Refuge is therefore taken in the noble sangha as the spiritual guides and friends on the path.

 

In Theravada Buddhism a practitioner takes refuge in the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha from now on until death. In Mahayana Buddhism a practitioner takes refuge in the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha from now on until he has achieved buddha, the enlightened state and he does so in order to help all sentient beings to free themselves from the suffering of cyclic existence.

 

By taking refuge in the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha, a practitioner will be able to achieve enlightenment because this is in his very nature. Based on the potential of enlightenment which is the true nature of mind of each and every individual – perfectly pure in itself –, a practitioner finds access to this potential by relying on the authentic support of the Three Jewels – and the way to do so is by taking refuge in them with trust and confidence.

 

Read more about the Buddhist Refuge here.

 

The Bodhisattva Vow


The bodhisattva vow is the essential theme of Mahayana Buddhism. On this particular spiritual path, the practitioner focusses on generating wisdom and compassion – i.e. bodhicitta.

With genuine loving kindness and compassion the practitioner wants to help limitless sentient beings so that they achieve well-being and the ultimate joy of enlightenment. And, in order to gain the ability to help sentient beings in achieving this, the practitioner strives to develop the wisdom of buddha, the enlightened state.

Based on loving kindness as the ever present attitude, a bodhisattva therefore focusses on accomplishing the fruit, i.e. buddha, the enlightened state, and on practicing the causes that will ripen to this result, namely the six transcendent qualities of giving, patience, ethics, joyous effort, meditation, and wisdom. With the bodhisattva vow the practitioner commits himself to a bodhisattva’s way of life.

The bodhisattva vow is taken during a specific ceremony in the presence of an authentic spiritual master. It is said to be the essential step in the spiritual development of a person who wishes to follow in the Buddha’s footsteps.

Shantideva, one of the great Indian masters of Buddhism, explained the benefits of generating bodhicitta as follows: “In someone who has fully adopted this attitude, who is determined to never turn away from completely liberating the infinite forms of life, the power of merit equal to space will perpetually ensue even during his sleep or at moments of inattentiveness.”

 

Read more about the Bodhisattva Vow here.

 

Empowerment


Empowerments belong to the vajrayana level of the Buddha’s teachings – in the West the vajrayana is often simply known as Tibetan Buddhism. The vajrayana consists of highly effective methods that are practised and based on other teachings of the Buddha; they form a part of mahayana Buddhism.

The empowerments are the required “gateway” through which the practitioner enters his practice of the vajrayana.

Basically the object of such empowerments is to guide the practitioner to a profound understanding of the nature of his mind, the nature of reality. Proceeding from this initial impulse, the practitioner goes on to deepen his understanding by means of consistent practice.

During the outward, ritual aspect of the empowerment, the vajrayana master recites the prescribed text, accompanying the meditation with ritual instruments. He also uses certain symbolic objects like a vessel and several small images. The vajrayana master eventually touches the practitioners with these objects to show that the individual constituent parts of the empowerment have actually been transmitted to them.

Having received such an empowerment it is essential to maintain the associated samayas ( commitments). In fact, practicing the vajrayana means to cultivate these commitments through consistent practice.

 

Read more about the empowerment here.