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When becoming a Buddhist...?
msac123
Explorer
Do you don't have to be initiated in a Sangha right? You could just take the three vows on your own (meaning and with pure intentions), right? What are your thoughts on this?
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No. Taking refuge (i.e., formally becoming a Buddhist) basically means taking the Buddha, his teachings (Dhamma), and those who have 'practiced well' (Sangha) as guides, and making an internal commitment to put the teachings themselves into practice.
You can go through all the external motions of going to a temple and formally taking the three refuges and receiving the precepts, or you can even do it in front of a Buddha statue at home if you want, but neither's really a requirement.
As Thanissaro Bhikkhu notes in his short book, Refuge, "On the internal level, the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha are the skillful qualities we develop in our own minds in imitation of our external models." What this means is that when you take refuge in the Sangha, for example, you're not only taking refuge in the community of monks and nuns and anyone who has gained a taste of awakening, but you're also taking refuge in the skillful qualities the Sangha represents and, ideally, possesses.
Moreover, according to Bhikkhu Bodhi, "Strictly speaking, as soon as there arises in his mind an act of consciousness which takes the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha as his guiding ideal, that person has gone for refuge to the Triple Gem and become a Buddhist lay disciple (upasaka)" (Going for Refuge & Taking the Precepts).
Taking monastic vows, on the other hand, is a completely different kettle of fish.
There are the Three Jewels of Buddhism to consider - Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha.
I don't think you need to become a monk if that's what you mean by "initiated." There are many lay Buddhism practitioners in the world - they probably actually out-number the actual clergy. (Not a lot of breeding in temples)
I've read it on the forums and elsewhere, that it is a good idea to seek out some kind of formal instruction when starting out, at least to get a good foundation to start from.
Many people choose to take refuge on their own rather than with a teacher or within a Sangha. Most people, as I understand, do it in front of an image of Buddha. I would, if you haven't already that is, do some reading up on what it means to take refuge (and precepts if you are going to do those, too) to make sure you know what it means and represents. But other than that, you definitely can do it yourself. These are some of the things I read, and still find them worthy of going over. There are some slight differences, the first 2 links are a Theravadin POV and the second is Tibetan.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel282.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/refuge.html
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2417
I take refuge in BDS before every meditation. In doing so I am immediately in another frame of mind. I haven't done it formally, as I don't feel the need to express it to anyone else, but when doing it I know I have the right attitude.
I am working through preliminary practices with my teacher, and one of the requirements is to do the refuge vow we took 100,000 times. LOL.
I find it helps my frame of mind a lot, and sometimes I say it under my breath when I feel a need and it helps then, too.
Doing it gave me another understand as to why Catholics say the Hail Mary rosary in times of need. It really does help
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation explains how to take refuge on your own. Yes you can do it!!
http://what-buddha-said.net/sangha/Refuges_and_Precepts.htm
I took the vows formally several years ago during a Green Tara initiation with a Tibetan Lama here in Switzerland. I've been a buddhist all my life but the fact of seriously acknowledging my faith in a group made the commitment more real to me somehow. Like anataman, I take refuge again every morning before my meditation and it's true that it puts you in a different frame of mind. It makes me be more mindful of my behaviour, more prone to be good...
It' s a personal decision in the end, but in my case, I felt more committed to my faith after the formal ceremony.
I found it more helpful to do with my teacher and within my Sangha as well, on a retreat weekend. Just my personality. I can talk myself out of anything. But I am far less likely to do it when I feel accountable to someone else as well. Not that my teacher is here to see if I behave or anything, lol, but just a frame of mind for me to be less likely to talk myself into/out of something when I have my teacher in mind.
Namaste,
I took refuge in a ceremony at home, but I want to take the vows formally. I have discussed this with my teacher at the Sangha I have been attending, but I haven't been for a while due to a few developments with my mobility. However, I hold myself accountable to the vows I took in my room. I hope to formally take vows soon, but in the end, I want to keep myself accountable and I think what I have undertaken counts more than someone taking the vows just so they can call themselves a Buddhist - if you get what I mean.
In metta,
Raven