Taking refuge in the Enlightened One (Buddha) the teaching (Dhamma), and the community of enlightened disciples (Sangha) has a deep significance. A refuge is a shelter, a safe place. There are very few safe places in this world. In fact, to find a totally safe shelter anywhere in worldly life is impossible. Physical shelters burn down, get demolished, disappear. Buddha-Dhamma-Sangha is not a physical shelter but a spiritual one, a haven protected from the storm. On the ocean the storms, winds, and waves make progress difficult. When a ship finally reaches the shelter of a harbor, where the water is calm, it can come to anchor. This is what it means to take refuge in Buddha-Dhamma-Sangha. We feel that we have finally found the place where we can come to rest: the teaching that promises, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is an end to suffering, to all the ills besetting mankind. The teaching, the Dhamma propounded by the great teacher and perpetuated by his Sangha, shows us the way. "Sangha" here means those who become enlightened through the Buddha's teaching, not necessarily those who wear robes. When we accept that promise by realizing the possibility of an end to suffering and by trusting in the Dhamma's efficacy, taking refuge is very meaningful.
Buddhdam saranam gacchami To the Buddha I go for refuge. Dhammam saranam gacchami To the Dhamma I go for refuge. Sangham saranam gacchami To the Sangha I go for refuge..... from chapter 1.
Be an Island: The Buddhist Practice of Inner Peace, Ayya Khema, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 135 pages, $14.95
Ayya Khema was a Buddhist teacher noted for providing opportunities for women to practice Buddhism, founding several centers around the world. In 1987, she helped coordinate the first-ever Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women
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