Full Episode
Hello, dear listeners, and welcome indeed to yet another episode of the Double Dorje podcast. There can't really be any doubt that when we say that taking refuge is the gateway to Buddhism, that's quite a good metaphor.
Perhaps not quite as cogent, but nevertheless still probably making sense, is to say that having come into the entrance hall through taking refuge, adopting the Bodhisattva's vow and training to develop Bodhicitta is the grand staircase leading up to the great rooms above.
And although, as I keep saying, I'm not trying to give you a course in Buddhism, having just looked at the four revolting thoughts in the last episode, it does follow very naturally to look at the next step, which is taking refuge. In a moment we'll look at that, but first the quick call to action as it's known. Do please take a moment, on whatever channel you are listening...
to like this episode, subscribe to the podcast, share it with your friends or on social media, or indeed wherever else might be appropriate on your channel. It really does help, so thank you. Now to the subject of taking refuge. This is the moment where you take up the practice of Buddhism and most importantly the orientation towards that practice.
As seems to happen rather often, I feel that before talking about what refuge actually is, it might be quite a good idea to dispel one or two misconceptions. So in that sense, let's start with the question of who is it that gives refuge, or gives the refuge vows. In some traditions, there are very strict rules about this, but in others, it's a little bit looser.
and you can take them with the aid of somebody who you can trust to be a good representative of the whole of Buddhism, in a sense. This is one of the most important steps you ever make, so it would clearly be ridiculous to take your refuge vows with the aid of someone you didn't like or respect, just because, technically speaking, they satisfied the rules.
But it is a mistake to think that this process turns the person who's giving the vows into your teacher, your Lama, or anything of that sort. Most of all, if Lama XYZ administers the refuge vows to you, it does not mean that you have taken refuge in Lama XYZ. To make this clearer, let me say that it's unlike the situation with empowerments.
An empowerment really should create a deep personal connection between the student or students and the guru or lover. Well, that at least is the case in theory, although nowadays some empowerments seem to be scattered around like confetti and even given virtually as online empowerments. Who am I to say that that doesn't work?
After all, there are, it seems, people who are totally happy with cybersex or digital pornography. Yet, I think most people would recognize that the real thing is in another league altogether. But that's an aside. Taking refuge is not meant to establish a specific connection with the person who administers the vows, but who really only facilitates the student in taking the vows.
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