Basics of Buddhism 5

(For podcast, click here)  (For the ITunes version, click here)

Many people have asked, “What does it mean to be a Buddhist?”  To explore that question, I decided to tack on one more discussion as part of the Basics of Buddhism.  When I think about this topic, it reminds me of a workshop I attended several years ago.  It was some kind of personal growth session, and there were many different types of people that participated.  At one point in the workshop, we split up into smaller groups of six – seven people and each person introduced themself.  One of the women in my group said she was an actress.  She was so beautiful and had that dramatic flare.  She went on to say that she was Buddhist, and of course, I thought, “Yippee! A kindred spirit! Someone like me!”  At the next break, I went up to speak with her.  I told her I was Buddhist as well and asked her what Buddhist book was her favorite.  Who was her favorite teacher?  She became annoyed and abruptly replied, “Oh, I haven’t read anything about it, I just FEEL Buddhist…”  I’m pretty sure that is NOT what being Buddhist is all about.

Today, I want to explore what “being Buddhist” means.  Many of you have been coming to the Sunday morning meditations for many years, and you may have no intention of ever calling yourself Buddhist, and that is totally okay.  You can get a lot from these teachings by practicing mindfulness and meditation without going any further or making commitment to these specific teachings.  But some of you might come to a point where you feel like this truly is your spiritual path, and you may want to make a greater commitment.  In the Buddhist tradition, the first step of a becoming a Buddhist is the process of taking the Refuge Vows and agreeing to abide by the Five Precepts--that is what we will talk about today.

In Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

We go for refuge until fully awakened.

Through the power of Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Enthusiastic Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom,

For the sake of all beings, may we realize and demonstrate our innate goodness.

The Refuge Vows are exactly the same as the Refuge Prayer that we say at the beginning of each meditation.  When you say this prayer as a vow, you are committing to these teachings as your primary spiritual path, by taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.  It’s NOT about converting to Buddhism—many people of other faiths still consider themselves Christian or Jewish or whatever spiritual path they are also on—but it is about making a greater commitment to follow these teachings.

We begin by taking refuge in the Buddha.  We have a statue on the altar every Sunday, and many people wonder if we are worshipping the Buddha.  NO!  Buddha did not want to be worshipped.  He taught again and again that he was an ordinary person, and that what he had done, every other person can do as well.  We look at statues of the Buddha and see a role model, as inspiration for our own enlightenment.  We, as ordinary people, can practice these teachings and we, too, can awaken.  We take refuge in Buddha because he reminds us that awakening is possible.  We do not have to wait 10,000 years to get to the point of awakening.  It is possible to wake up in this lifetime, and experience the joy and peace that the Buddha experienced.  We look at statues of the Buddha with a sense of encouragement that we, too, can live an awakened life. 

Also, it is often described as taking refuge in our own innate Buddhist Nature, our Christ Consciousness.  The Buddha taught that we are innately good, innately wise, and that we can rely upon this innate nature to make more skillful choices in life.  Even if we sometimes forget about our goodness or cover up our innate wisdom with old unskillful habits, it is still there within us, just waiting to be tapped into. 

We can also take refuge in the Dharma, which represents all the enlightened teachings of those that came before us and were so kind to show us the way.  One of the distinctions between Buddhism and Christianity is the perspective on enlightened teachings.  In Christianity, we have the Bible, identified as the word of God.  In Buddhism, many have become enlightened through these teachings, and they then write words encouraging others and pointing to the way.   We can take refuge in all these teachings, and explore them for the help and support that they can provide for our own enlightenment. 

We can also take refuge in the Sangha, a group of like-minded individuals who are supporting each other on the spiritual path.  You might have thought that you got up this morning and came here to the meditation because of a personal need--the crazy week you had or feeling stressed out.  However, the fact that you showed up this morning has already blessed each and every person here.  Imagine what it would be like, in this very moment, to be sitting here all alone.  What a more joyful and impactful experience it is to be here with everyone being part of this shared process!  Taking refuge in the Sangha is a two-way street.  You are committing to support and encourage others who are trying to walk this path, and you are committing to allow others to support and encourage you as well.  It is a process that has been found to work well for 2600 years.

The other commitment is the Five Precepts.  There are actually two different sets of Precepts.  If you were going to join a monastery, you would take the Refuge Vows, have your head shaved, and agree to abide by the following precepts:

For monks/nuns:

·                     Not killing

·                     Not stealing

·                     Not lying

·                     No sexual interactions

·                     Not using intoxicants

Most of us, however, are more likely to continue to be householders.  We will still pay the bills, be with our family and show up for work.  Therefore, there is a little bit different process for householder versus monks/nuns.   For householders, you are still encouraged to snip off a bit of your hair, but it doesn’t have too much!  Rituals can have value if they inspire you towards more skillful thoughts and actions.

For householders:

·                     Not killing

·                     Not stealing

·                     Not lying

·                     Not engaging in sexual misconduct

·                     Not using intoxicants unskillfully

These Precepts are not commandments, but rather guidelines.  We are encouraged to rely on these actions, but still use our inner wisdom to search for the most skillful response.  The first guideline is “do not kill”.  You might wear leather shoes or might eat meat, some Buddhist traditions do. We practice honoring life as best we can in the real world because that usually relieves the most suffering.  

The next Precept is "do not steal", and it’s clarified more completely as “do not take what is not freely given to you.”  As well as to give to others that which you can share.

The third Precept, “do not lie”, is another good example of how these are guidelines, not commandments.  The extreme situation usually given is to imagine that you lived in Nazi Germany and were hiding a Jewish family in your attic.  If soldiers came to your door and inquired, lying would likely relieve more suffering than telling the truth.  Once again, these guidelines can lead us in the right direction, but they do not take away our responsibility to be fully present in each moment to assess the most skillful response.

The fourth Precept is different for monks/nuns and householders.  Monks and nuns are encouraged not to have any sexual activities, but there’s good news for us householders!  We are asked to not engage in sexual misconduct.  Most of us can think of situations when sex is used in ways that are harmful to ourselves and to others, and we can instead make choices that do no harm.   These decisions are part of the path as well.

Lastly, for monks and nuns, they are encouraged to not use any intoxicants.  We householders get a break on this Precept as well.  We are asked to not use intoxicants unskillfully or in ways that lead to “heedlessness”.   Intoxicants can cloud our judgment.  It is a personal decision for you whether you have a glass of wine with your meal.  Are you doing so in a way that is not causing harm to yourself or others? 

That’s it.  The first official step on the Buddhist path is committing to taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, and committing to following these Five Precepts.  Another question you might have is, “if I make this commitment, is it for the rest of my life?”  That is a question only you can answer.  I can tell you for myself, I first took the Refuge Vows when I was 21 years old on retreat in Bodh Gaya, India.  Everyone else was doing it.  It seemed kind of fun.  It did seem kind of cool to be Buddhist.  But, I didn’t take them to heart.  I came back to America and lived my life, and for a decade, they didn’t do anything for me, because I didn’t do anything for them.  In the nineties, I began to rekindle my Buddhist reading and practice.  I found this book by Lama Surya Das entitled, Awakening the Buddha Within.  When I came to the passage that talked about the Refuge Vows, I was sitting at home all alone.  I remember feeling so amazed at how transformational these vows then appeared.  In my home, all by myself, simply reading these words that I had heard before, these words now meant something deep and powerful to me.  After reflecting on this passage, I went over to my sewing kit and pulled out some light blue thread, took a small section of the end of my hair, and tied it with the thread.  I said the Refuge Vows out loud three times, and committed to following the Five Precepts, and I took some scissors and cut off this small piece of my hair.  I still have it placed there between Pages 56 and 57.  It was in that moment when I decided to commit myself to this path.  It was right time for me to make this commitment.  For me, that moment was the moment I realized that this was going to be my spiritual path. 

So, it doesn’t have to be a special ceremony or special setting.  It doesn’t even have to be with other people.  If you decide that you at that point in your life where you want to commit more deeply to this spiritual path, you can simply take the Refuge Vows and Five Precepts for yourself.  Several people have shared that they would like to participate in a special ceremony, so you’ll have an opportunity to do so this Tuesday evening at 8 pm.  There are handouts that go into more detail about the ceremony itself.   You are NOT taking the Refuge Vows to me or with me;   I’m not a Lama or Rinpoche or anything special.  You would be taking the Refuge Vows with and for yourself.  Only you know if you want to take Refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha and the Five Precepts.   Take time to reflect on whatever decision you think is right for you.  No rush, no hurry, no hassle, no pressure.   But do not take them lightly, for you might as well not take them at all.