Tuning In To Refuge & Bodhicitta

This is a brief Buddhist practice of reconnecting to the Three Jewels refuge—Buddha, Dharma and Sangha—in order to remind us of our spiritual roots, and then establishing the motivation of bodhicitta (the aspiration for awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings).

Transcript

This is a short guided meditation on the Buddhist practice of taking refuge and generating the motivation of bodhicitta or the spirit of awakening.

First take a comfortable stationary position and simply relax.

As we begin this practice we are allowing our breathing to be natural and following the tactile sensations in our body for a short while.

We're noticing as they arise,

Abide and dissolve.

Then we remind ourselves of the awakened nature of our own mind,

Remind ourselves of our potential for awakening and of all those who have already realized that awakening.

Imagining this awakened being present in front of us,

Above our crown and in our heart,

We think,

I take refuge in the Buddha.

I feel inspired by the example of the historical Buddha,

Buddha Shakyamuni,

And the example of all the awakened beings in history.

I turn towards awakening as my guiding light,

My ideal.

Why?

Because I can become awakened too.

I take refuge in the Buddha.

We then think of the liberating teachings or the Dharma and the realization of these teachings in the minds of all beings,

Including ourselves.

Feeling deep appreciation for the existence of these teachings and these realizations,

We think,

I take refuge in the Dharma.

I take it as my refuge,

My medicine,

My guiding principle,

My working hypothesis,

My protection.

I take refuge in the Dharma.

Then our minds turn towards the benevolent presence of the Sangha,

Or the eternal community of realized beings who help us on the path and walk the path with us.

These beings also abide in front of us,

All around us,

And in our heart.

And we think,

I take refuge in the Sangha.

I feel the support of all the realized beings,

And also all the beings who are simply being kind to me.

Their kindness is also part of their Buddha nature,

Their awakened potential.

So I am never really alone.

I take refuge in the Sangha.

With this feeling of refuge as our foundation,

We generate strong love and compassion for ourselves and all beings.

Wishing ourselves and all beings to be free from suffering and its causes,

We generate the aspiration of Bodhicitta.

May I become awakened for the benefit of all sentient beings.

May my own mind,

Speech,

And body become the Buddha,

Dharma,

And Sangha,

And the refuge for all beings.

Coming back to our body and its sensations,

We prepare to conclude this practice as the bell rings,

Taking our feeling of refuge and Bodhicitta into the rest of the day.

May all beings be happy and free from suffering.

Reviews

A helpful and timely meditation.

It seems this was precisely what I needed right now. Thank you so much for the way you articulated what it means to take refuge. 🙏💛

A great way to start your day or before a longer practice. Thank you. 🙏🏽💛

A wonderful way to begin a longer practice, or as a reminder of how to step into the day with support.

Thank you. This deepened my understanding of Taking Refuge. Very helpful 🙏🏽

Thank you. I have started my practice for many days in a row with this guidance. 💎

A good short practice that conditions my mind for meditation and for the day ahead.

Very succinct and meaningful! The Dharma as our working hypothesis…brilliant.

Now that I’ve done this meditation once I might use it occasionally in the future as a way to end my Samatha sits. Thank you for this.

Thank you!

Wonderful. Conscise yet powerful, and very devoted. Thank you so much for your contribution to the dharma

Thank you for this gentle reminder. Sound.

Simple and clear. Thank you so much!

Gratitude and love for this beautiful practice, dear soul. Thank you for sharing your precious light.

Succinct, profound, & a new perspective.

One of my favorite practices to start the day with

Thank u 🙏🏼🙏🏾🙏🏿🌈☮️🌎

May all beings be free from suffering 💛

Efficient, altruism, Omni-truism perhaps

Right time, right space, to listen to these words of wisdom. 🙏