Buddham Saranam Gacchami
Dhammam Saranam Gacchami
Sangham Saranam Gacchami
I take refuge in the Three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Buddha, the Tathagata, the World-Honored One who taught the Dharma to all until the time of his death. The Dharma as Life itself, Death itself, the immutable, unchanging, unconditioned Reality that can only be experienced through the lens of Wisdom. And the Sangha, the community of practitioners, the Great Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, Arhants, Stream-Enterers, and those who long for a teacher, the teachings, and someone with whom to practice the Great Way. I take Refuge, I take Refuge, I take Refuge.
And among the Buddha’s final instructions, he said above all, to take refuge in ourselves--myself, yourself, hisself, herself. No one can awaken you but you. No one can see your True Buddha Nature for you. It is your True Nature not mine; it is my True Nature, not yours; his not hers; hers not his. I can awaken only myself, I can only take refuge in myself, you in yourself, and so on. And yet, we take refuge in the Three Jewels. Is there a contradiction? There is if you want there to be. If you choose to be a contrarian, looking for a chink in the armor, the Achilles Heel, the thread that unravels the Sutras, you can find them. It may require some cherry-picking, it may involve taking quotes and stories and teachings out of context, relying on erroneous teaching from non-teachers, or dismissing a teacher and the Teachings when it is inconvenient, or causes you to look at yourself only to see something in the mirror you’d rather not see. It may just be the desire to argue. What is common in all that is the insertion of “I.”
In the West, many people come to the practice in two ways: a disdain for organized religion, or some crisis that can’t be dealt with satisfactorily with the current means. I know a social worker who says that even delusional coping strategies work...until they don’t. Drinking, drugs, promiscuity, trying to manipulate or deceive others, they can all serve a purpose for a time. Then it turns out that the problems being escaped are still there, praying isn’t working, getting loaded isn’t working, what to do? “I’ll give Buddhism a shot, they all seem so peaceful and content, and I’m not, so there’s nothing to lose.”
They’re not entirely misguided by this idea. By and large, if we Buddhists aren’t all peace, love, and crunchy granola, there’s often a sense of awareness, a view of a more complete picture. If it turns out not to be a solution, then the insight might come that what seemed like a permanent problem is in reality, only temporary. Then it may turn out that once again, what was a coping strategy stops working, because as causes and conditions change, the strategy needs to change also. It turns out that’s OK, because that’s only to be expected.
Through the help of a teacher, even just reading the teachings, or being group of fellow travelers can lead to at least a direction. They can’t awaken you. They can help by sharing Dharma teachings with you, they can point you in a direction, they can provide encouragement and support, maybe even tell you when you’ve really screwed something up. But they can’t awaken you. We must take refuge in the Three Jewels for the benefit of all beings. But that in and of itself isn’t awakening. As each experience is unique to the individual, the travel of the Great Way is ultimately unique also.
A Zen Master can't awaken you. The Dalai Lama can't awaken you. Reading Dogen or Dahui can't awaken you. Watching Alan Watts videos can't awaken you. Quoting Ikkyu can't awaken you. Quoting Fake Buddha Quotes can't awaken you. Quoting real Buddha quotes can't awaken you. No one and nothing but you can awaken you, so why waste time looking for it from someone else?
You can walk through the fog, or get drenched by a bucket of water--either way, you end up wet. Why cling to dryness?
Awakening is private practice.
Buddham Saranam Gacchami
Dhammam Saranam Gacchami
Sangham Saranam Gacchami
