Taking Refuge

FairyFeller

Three years ago I joined NB after deciding I wanted to be a Buddhist. This was after me seeing a psychotherapist for half a dozen sessions and being pointed in the direction of Mindfullness, me being me I grabbed it with both hands and tried to take it to the extreme I was all enthusiasm and no understanding. I visited my local (about a 2-3 hour drive away) monastery as this was my nearest Theravada centre and I was convinced that Theravada was the best to take the refuge ceremony to convince myself it would make me a 'real Buddhist'.

Three years on and after a lot of reading and a lot more contemplation I don't claim to have anymore of an understanding of Buddhism than I did then but I have started to understand myself. I am no less enthusiastic than I was then but I am a lot more laid back, I want to visit the monastery again but on a more personal level but I also want to start taking refuge at home as it now means something to me.

When I visited last time everything was done in Pali so all I did was attempt to read some words off a card (probably badly) so TBH they probably meant as little to me as it made sense to the monk I was making them in front of.

I'd like to learn how to say them correctly, to put the effort in. Just about every link I find has them written in what looks like the Latin alphabet to an extent but I'm not sure where to emphasise the words and also I might be missing some of the quirks. All the YouTube videos I find have multiple voices so it's a little awkward. Do anyone know of simple vocal audio/video files and phonetic spellings of the ceremony.

Bunks

Hi @FairyFeller

I used to practice Theravadan for a while and used this website for an English version of refuge and precepts. They also have a link to an audio version.

http://what-buddha-said.net/sangha/Refuges_and_Precepts.htm

Hope that helps!

Invincible_summer

This may also be helpful - turn on closed captioning!

federica

That's perfect, @Invincible_summer .

@FairyFeller , the vows I recite, morning and evening, are actually (specifically) the ones which begin at 1.49 minutes in.
However, taking the vows for the first time, it may be worth your while (if you see fit) to begin at the beginning.
Theravada vows may be taken at the temple, on an auspicious day, or on one of the special days marking the Buddha's progress or lifetime (I went to a Theravada Temple on Vesak, in May, to take mine "officially" as it were) but prior to that, I also performed a specific ceremony, of my own, of my own making, at home, in private, at a time when I felt it appropriate.

If I'm totally honest, I actually preferred it 'my way'.
I decided upon which day to do it, in advance.
On that morning, once my family had left the house (husband, work, daughters, school) I showered, wore clean cotton clothing, and practised Qi Gong for a half hour.
Then I sat in my room, in front of my altar, lit incense, an oil lamp, and put fresh flowers in a small bowl.
I sat in meditation, then recited the refuge vow (as from 1.49 on video).

Then, I got up, bowed to my altar 3 times, left the room, got changed and went about my day as normal.

Do what feels special for you.
But don't expect to feel 'different' from that moment on.

Life is life, and so it goes on, one step at a time.

FairyFeller

@federica said:
That's perfect, Invincible_summer .

FairyFeller , the vows I recite, morning and evening, are actually (specifically) the ones which begin at 1.49 minutes in.
However, taking the vows for the first time, it may be worth your while (if you see fit) to begin at the beginning.
Theravada vows may be taken at the temple, on an auspicious day, or on one of the special days marking the Buddha's progress or lifetime (I went to a Theravada Temple on Vesak, in May, to take mine "officially" as it were) but prior to that, I also performed a specific ceremony, of my own, of my own making, at home, in private, at a time when I felt it appropriate.

If I'm totally honest, I actually preferred it 'my way'.
I decided upon which day to do it, in advance.
On that morning, once my family had left the house (husband, work, daughters, school) I showered, wore clean cotton clothing, and practised Qi Gong for a half hour.
Then I sat in my room, in front of my altar, lit incense, an oil lamp, and put fresh flowers in a small bowl.
I sat in meditation, then recited the refuge vow (as from 1.49 on video).

Then, I got up, bowed to my altar 3 times, left the room, got changed and went about my day as normal.

Do what feels special for you.
But don't expect to feel 'different' from that moment on.

Life is life, and so it goes on, one step at a time.

Thank you all.

@federica thank you for sharing your experiences. As I've said I came to Buddhism after my psychotherapist suggested mindfulness and I feel I was thinking becoming a Buddhist would give me the chance of a new start with my life away from all the mistakes I have made in the past. The hurry to take my first attempt at taking refuge was part of this rush at a fresh start.

Three years in and after a lot of sitting I've learned I actually quite like living with the experiences life has given me, the path I am on and seeing where the path takes me. I am now looking to make it a personal journey rather than trying to find the one true map that is the one and only way. I want to develop my own practice some of which will be around the experiences shared by others. I would like to go back to the monastery at some point to take my vows again but as part of that personal journey rather than rush there to press the magic reset button on my life in the hope it will make everything new and fresh and give me all of the answers. I want to develop my personal practice out of respect for those who have shared their experiences and also out of respect for myself.