True Refuge

[Dhara]

May my heart always be pure.

 

[BULLDOG]

Refuge means a safe place. I'm so fortunate to have that and I wish that for ALL beings.

There is no such thing as a safe place. Even if you could separate yourself from every danger presented by the world and all the people in it, you are still susceptible to the danger from your own thoughts and actions.

There is a safe place and that is within the heart. It is the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. That is true mind protection.

I'm not an expert on any of this, but I don't think any of us can access that place in this existence. Not a place easily accessed at will.

 

[Skull Pilot]

 

[Dhara]

Refuge means a safe place. I'm so fortunate to have that and I wish that for ALL beings.

There is no such thing as a safe place. Even if you could separate yourself from every danger presented by the world and all the people in it, you are still susceptible to the danger from your own thoughts and actions.

There is a safe place and that is within the heart. It is the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. That is true mind protection.

I'm not an expert on any of this, but I don't think any of us can access that place in this existence. Not a place easily accessed at will.

It can be found in meditation. In pure motivation, wanting to be helpful and not harmful. Meditation and prayer can protect the mind. Nothing can protect the body, it is subject to aging, illness and death.

 

[Dhara]

 

[Carla_Danger]

I meditate every day, and most Sundays, I go to a meditation group.

How is meditation different from day dreaming, or working out a problem in your mind?

Meditation is consciously focusing on being present in your body each moment, versus letting your mind wander or focusing on specific issues. I have pretty severe attention deficit disorder, and it really helps with slowing my mind down and focusing.

Maybe I should re-think meditation and give it another shot.

I swear, I'll set out to do housework, but first I have to find the perfect house cleaning music. Then I find my CD's are disorganized, and I'm off to Walmart, buying labels and organizers.

 

[Dhara]

Someone asked how is meditation different from day dreaming? Meditation is paying attention to what's going on in your body, speech and mind. Each time you catch yourself day dreaming and wake up from it is a moment of meditation.

 

[Mr. H.]

What is your "safe place" that you can go to?

For me, it's the dharma.

Yes, for me too it is the Dharma.

 

[pillars]

Maybe I should re-think meditation and give it another shot.

I swear, I'll set out to do housework, but first I have to find the perfect house cleaning music. Then I find my CD's are disorganized, and I'm off to Walmart, buying labels and organizers.

I have lived that dream. I have to make sure the kitchen is perfectly clean before I start cooking. Otherwise, I get too distracted.

 

[Dhara]

I take refuge in the Buddha, the Awakened state in all beings. I take refuge in the Dharma, the path of teachings and practices that help reveal Buddha nature, I take refuge in the Sangha, the sublime teachers who reveal the path and the virtous companions who walk the path with us.

 

[Tilly]

Clearly it has done you a world of good.

You too. Lol.

 

[pillars]

I'm not a buddhist. I don't meditate to achieve selflessness or nirvana. I meditate for self control and to achieve my goals. Sometimes I draw a tarot card and meditate about what it means. Sometimes I meditate to slow my mind down so I can sleep.

I find that meditation works very well for all of those goals.

 

[Dhara]

The Buddha, the Dharma and the Excellent Assembly of Sangha, until I attain enlightenment, in these, I take refuge.

Taking refuge is what differentiates a Buddhist from a non-Buddhist.

 

[Dhara]

Tai Situ Rinpoche says that refuge is "taking comfort in your basic goodness." He emphasizes the importance of being linked to the lineage.

 

[Dhara]

Basic goodness is the opposite of the RCC concept of "original sin". It's more "original purity".

 

[The Great Goose]

I think of my successes in life and where I am as opposed to where I could be if not for the help of others and my mental strength.

It's time people learned of my succeses and their failures.