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Refuge (3 of 5) The External Refuge

So the topic for today, as the third talk in this refuge series, is refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha as the external refuge. Yesterday, I talked about the internal refuge, finding the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and what those qualities represent—the inner qualities within ourselves. But also, more classically in Buddhism, the conventional idea of refuge is in the Buddha himself (the historical Buddha), in the Dharma (which has a variety of meanings, but one meaning is the teachings and practices of the Buddha), and the Sangha. The Sangha sometimes refers to the monastic community, and sometimes refers more essentially to those people, monastic and lay, who have experienced some degree of awakening, some degree of becoming freer, and some inner or spiritual maturity. Here in the West, we tend to expand the meaning of Sangha sometimes to be everyone that we practice with, and occasionally people in the West talk about all beings as a Sangha, which I think is a beautiful idea.

Sometimes the external refuge is very strongly connected to people's deep inner faith, a deep sense of inspiration, trust, or confidence. It could also be related to starting to see in the world beyond oneself examples of what makes the world and living in it meaningful, or what gives it a sense of purpose or orientation so we know what we're doing and where we're going. I'll say more about that, but an important part of this refuge is action. The Buddha said our actions are our refuge. But to have a sense of what this life is about, what we can act on, do, or choose that leads to greater freedom and the alleviation of suffering for ourselves and for others, is the external refuge.

I imagine that if I met the Buddha, and he was somehow alive today, maybe I wouldn't use the word refuge because it's kind of a Buddhist word. Especially before I became a Buddhist, I would have used words like: if I met this person and saw what this person was about, and heard those teachings, it would have inspired tremendous inspiration in me, a tremendous sense of recognition that here was something really valuable and good. Here was a goodness, an aura, or an example of a possibility of how to live which is a worthwhile thing to pursue. This is a person who represents how I would like to be, or how I would like to move towards and become. I might say that I had a lot of trust in this person, I had a lot of faith in this person, I was inspired by this person. I might also say that I saw that person as an example of what I could become, and in that there would be a kind of heartfelt joy^[1] in seeing this possibility in someone else.

In the ancient world, people used the language of taking refuge^[2] for all those feelings that might happen when they encounter the Buddha. The most common description in the ancient suttas^[3] for people who met the Buddha, heard his teachings, and then decided to go for refuge was the statement: "Magnificent, Master Gotama^[4]! Magnificent, Master Gotama! The Dhamma^[5] has been made clear in many ways by Master Gotama, as though he were turning upright what had been turned upside down, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms. We go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the monastic community. Let Master Gotama remember us as lay followers from today, having gone for refuge for life."

It is repeated over and over again in the suttas, so it is a little bit of a formulaic statement that someone came up with, but it's inspiring, this idea of the totality of it, the meaning, the impact it had in ancient India at the time of the Buddha. People were already going for refuge, not just to the Buddha^[6], but before him. The ancient texts do talk about a triple refuge, and the triple refuge back then was in three of the Brahmanical or Indic gods of the time: Indra, Prajapati, and the god of death. Somehow this idea of a triple refuge was already there in India, so people were already predisposed. When it came to the Buddha, the culture was set up that this is what they do. We have no examples anywhere that the Buddha instructed people to go for refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. People did it in his presence, and he assented in silence. How to read that silence and what his relationship to all this is, is a little bit interpretive, I suppose.

What we do find the Buddha emphasized, as I've been saying these days, is the internal refuge: finding refuge in oneself and in the practice we do, in the practice of mindfulness, seeing that as a refuge. But he did, in his silent assent, allow people to go for refuge, and so I guess he approved of it. But I think that for many of us, one of the ways that refuge works is that something inside of us is moved by these external refuges. Something inside recognizes the truth of it, or recognizes ourselves in that. Somehow what the Buddha is, what the Dharma really is, what the Sangha is—the example of people who have practiced deeply—resonates, moves, and touches those things in ourselves. Sometimes we first see in the external world a possibility for a different way of living. We see it in the example of other people, or in teachings we read that really inspire us, and then we find it in ourselves.

The first Buddhist book that I read was Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki^[7]. It was a remarkable experience to read this book because, as I was reading it, I felt I was reading things that I knew but didn't know that I knew. There was this deep recognition: "Oh yes, I know this, I know this." It somehow touched some part of me, and that book set me on the course of doing Buddhist practice.

I find it inspiring to look at statues of the Buddha because, for me, the well-done statues represent the filling out of a possibility that I've recognized in small ways within myself: a possibility of being free, of being peaceful, of being wise, of being compassionate. I know that I could grow in these capacities. It is very meaningful to have the example of the Buddha, but I have also met people in my life who clearly have inspired me, who seem to have filled out this potential in a big, important way. Seeing examples of this has been essential; I don't think I could have practiced as much as I did without seeing them, trusting them, having faith, or, using the word refuge, having refuge in these people who showed me what's possible. Something inside of me resonated, or it pointed to something inside of me, indicating that it was my turn to open, grow, and develop.

So it isn't so much that we go for refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in some kind of blind allegiance, or some kind of magical thinking that if I just turn myself over to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and trust them completely, I'll somehow be taken care of. It's more like we recognize how valuable and inspiring the example of the Buddha is, how inspiring the Dharma teachings are, and the Sangha—the other people we practice with, who are maturing, growing, and freer than us. This is like a mirror for ourselves. Over and over again, the refuge comes back here to ourselves, but there can be an emotional relationship of great value, of warmth and heartfelt joy in seeing it externally. Because we are human beings and we live in connectedness and relationship to each other, of course we are going to feel some kind of inspired feelings if we see around us in the world what we feel inside.

For some people, just the abstract possibility of freedom is inspiring. But at some point as we practice, we begin to really recognize something that's here for us in our experience, taking our peace and taking our refuge. Then it's possible to begin gazing upon the world in a new way, seeing that there's refuge in the world, seeing that there's much more goodness in the world than it's possible to see if we view the world through our hate, greed, or fear. For all the horrible things people do to each other, there are more people who are trying to make a difference. I think in the current protests we see around the country that are so inspiring, people are responding to brutality that is horrific to see, but there are many, many more people who are coming forth to protest the brutality than there are people who are being brutal. To take refuge in all this goodness, all this courage—there is refuge in the world.

To see the world in a new way is not meant to be naive, but to find refuge in the world. Whether it's in the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha—which are^[8] among the great refuges—or starting to recognize these qualities not only in oneself but in the world around us, the world itself becomes a kind of refuge because it has the qualities of what Buddhists would call the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This is the possibility of what happens as we mature and develop in practice. If we're able to see the refuges in the world, then even just seeing them begins to support us. It's kind of like food: seeing, recognizing, and appreciating what is good in the world is the fodder or food for that goodness to grow as well. It's not to deny the difficulties, but to hold them in what I think is an invaluable context.

So I hope that for those of you who do have a strong heartfelt connection to the external refuges of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, you continue to do so, but really remember that the external refuge is not only pointing to ourselves inside, but also pointing out that the inside and outside don't have to be so separated. There is a continuity, an intermingling of the inner refuge and the outer refuge. I would like to represent that meeting and connection of the two today with the hands coming down and then bowing in refuge, out of refuge, with refuge for the welfare and happiness of all beings.

Dedication

May we all discover our close, intimate, caring connection with each other and live in a world where we appreciate the mutual care and support that we can give each other. May all beings be free. May all beings know that they're cared for, respected, valued, and appreciated for the depth of their beauty and their great value as human beings. Thank you.