The journey to the final purpose of Buddhist enlightenment begins with opening the doors that lead to Dharma, – with the taking of refuge. The symbol of Buddhist belief, refuge consists of a synthesis of the vows of layman, vows of bodhisattva, fundamental ways of Buddhist teachings and meditative practice and the offerings of mandala. The text of the refuge prayer is widely used in the religious practice of Buddhism. The shortened version of refuge in the Three Jewels is widely used in day-to-day life. It is considered to be the most ancient part of the Buddhist creed, which is found in the form of a three-line at the beginning and at the end of many Buddhist texts. According to the tradition, taking refuge can be realized only through individual meditative concentration, and ignorance can be overcome by acquiring the necessary knowledge in the process of meditative practice. This technique makes it possible to go beyond the ambivalent or egocentric experience of what is inside the subject and what is outside it. Without this meditational practice of acquiring knowledge the simple act of repeating the texts of the creed does not have practical meaning for it does not produce a special state of consciousness focused on the determination to break the chain of rebirth in samsara and achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings of samsara. The knowledge gained in the process of taking refuge develops detachment from everyday life in the person who has entered this path. The objective reality remains the same, but its meaning and attitude towards it change. The presence or absence of refuge in the personality’s stream of consciousness defines one as a Buddhist who has stepped onto the path of enlightenment or a non-Buddhist who has not chosen that path.

Key words: Buddhism, refuge, symbol of belief, manual texts, consciousness, meditation

DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2023_4_134

Download the paper (PDF)

About the author

Baazr A. Bicheev – Doctor of Science (Philosophy); Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies; Kalmyk State University n.a. B.B. Gorodovikov; 11 Pusykina str., Elista, 358000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.