BUDDHISM AND THE TRIPLE REFUGE

According to Masao Abe, a prominent scholar and expert in Buddhism, the basic profession of Buddhist faith rests with something called the Triple Refuge. To become a Buddhist formally, one says the Triple Refuge three times. It goes like this, “I go for refuge to the Buddha; I go for refuge to the Doctrine [Dharma]; I go for refuge to the community [Sangha]” (Abe, 1993, pp. 73-74).

Most people associate the name “Buddha” with Siddhartha Gautama Sakyamuni. He was certainly the author of the core of the Buddhist doctrine or dharma. However, there have been other Buddhas, since the word means somebody who has attained “Bodhi” or enlightenment. As Buddhists see it, an enlightened one is probably the closest thing to a perfect man in terms of ethics and intellect.

I do not agree with that point of view first, because perfection is a dead end as far as I am concerned. You cannot improve (because you are perfect) and you cannot lose ground (because then you would not be perfect). Just like a painting or something static and unchangeable, these are things perfectly dead. People or things that are alive are in a state of flux. Then there is the Buddhist renunciation of the self and of desire, which I also disagree with; but I will treat those subjects another time. Today, I want to concentrate on the Triple Refuge.

Regardless of whether or not I agree with them on matters of doctrine, it makes sense for Buddhists to go for refuge to the Buddha. In Western terminology, it means to go seek advice from somebody who has great knowledge in a particular field or, beyond that, somebody who possesses wisdom about life in general. According to Gautama Buddha—and I agree—the goal for a human being should be to become wise oneself. After all, we are responsible for quite a few things including our own behavior, our own well-being and that of our families.

To Buddhists, wisdom is necessary to achieve salvation here on Earth by transcending the ego. Whether or not we choose that route, wisdom can help us lead better lives here. For those of us who believe in an afterlife, wisdom is also necessary for the salvation of our souls. Not that I believe God sends people to Hell for an eternity. It would be an unjust sentence: infinite suffering as repayment for a finite number of sins. That equation is unbalanced. A good God would not agree to it. However, there may be natural consequences for our actions on Earth including some forms of dire punishment for those without a conscience. Hence, we are responsible for our own salvation, and it is unwise to delegate that responsibility to others. Dependency here can prove most injurious. If we ever appear before God for judgment, blaming one’s “holy” book or one’s preachers will not make us any less accountable for our sins. See Ercian Testament - Part One, chapter 2, "The Mind," and chapter 3, "The Psychology of the Chain."

The second refuge for Buddhists is the Doctrine or dharma. That makes sense for them, as it makes sense for Christians to seek refuge in the teachings of the Bible, for Jews to seek it in the Torah, and for Muslims to seek it in the Qur’ān. The questions that come to mind here are, “What principles should govern a person’s life?” “Which beliefs should he or she appropriate?” “Where or on whom should a person place his or her trust?” Questions such as these gave me the impetus more than thirty years ago to begin my religious journey in search of God and truth. Having found my answers, there I can find refuge in times of trouble or despair.

Unfortunately, our differences in religious doctrines are a main source of discord among us. The stubbornness of orthodox followers has the potential to cause a war of apocalyptic proportions. Where will we seek refuge then? All will be lost. Even if we survive, life would never be the same. Suffering until death would be our lot. With that outcome as a possibility, why can we not adopt a flexible Doctrine that provides refuge for us all? Forget the specifics. Make it general enough, so that it can include all the peoples of good minds and wills. World of mine, people of mine, become proligious—if not for our own sakes, then for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Build a good future for them. At least, do your part by setting the foundation. Teach them well. Make success possible.

The third and last Buddhist refuge is the community. That makes sense too. We are social animals. Our neighbors, the people in our communities, government officials, the Fire department, officers of the law, and all others: we call upon them when the need arises. Of course, we cannot seek refuge in our government officials or workers if they are corrupt or incompetent. Ideally, we want them ethical, smart, knowledgeable, and dedicated. Finally, we cannot seek refuge in the community, if religious, racial, or ethnic differences are the cause of war or serious conflicts among us.

Behold the carnage in Iraq due to sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis. Muslims fighting Muslims, just what Muhammad had in mind, right? “Oh, do not make fun of Islam or God’s Prophet!” we hear some Muslims protest. Yet, a good number of them disobey their Word of God, desecrate their holy book, and disregard their Prophet by killing each other without mercy. My fellow brothers, do not expect Allah to be Merciful when you refuse to act accordingly. If Ellael exists as I hope, as you judge your brethren, so will God judge you.

Buddhists do not believe in God-Conscious, but I do. Thus, my last refuge is Ellael. I pray every day. However, I do not ask God to help me in some way unless I have done my best to help myself. Our power to reason is the weapon we must use to fight all these evils. Our power to reason is the tool God gave us to increase our chances of success in life. Our power to reason is our first refuge.

Bibliography: Abe, M. (1993). Buddhism. In Arvind Sharma (Ed.), Our Religions (pp. 71-137). New York: Harper Collins Publishers.