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What does the concept of safe harbor or refuge mean in Buddhism?

 

 

The notion of taking refuge in a faith is unique to Buddhism. Quite simply, the Buddha, his teachings under Dharma and the Sangha or Buddhist community – termed the Three Jewels in Buddhist scriptures – offer any seeker shelter from the woes of life. The concept is often explained using the analogy of illness with the Buddha as physician, Dharma as medicine and the Sangha as nurse. Taking this further, the individual seeking refuge is the patient – to get well, he/she must take the prescribed medicine, which means practicing the Buddha’s teachings.

At a deeper level, the idea of seeking safe harbor implies that the individual has a degree of understanding about life’s difficulties and suffering. Also, taking refuge doesn’t mean trying to escape from problems in one’s current life. Rather, it is about avoiding suffering in future lives and possibly releasing oneself from the endless cycle of rebirth.

Seeking refuge in the Buddha is about letting go of the shackles that hold us back from enlightenment. His teachings, through the principles of Dharma, show us how to develop and strengthen the inherent ability to release ourselves. The Sangha is a spiritual community that shares the desire to let go of suffering. Support, encouragement and shared experiences from its members helps one find the way out of pain and suffering. Seeking shelter in the Three Jewels is a serious commitment that is undertaken with vows.

Chief among these is the vow to never harm another sentient being.

Depending on varying traditions, other vows may include not killing, not stealing (in the sense of not taking what is not offered as well as not paying taxes), not indulging in sexual misconduct (adultery), not lying and not imbibing intoxicants (alcohol or any substance detracting from mental clarity).

In Buddhist philosophy, making this commitment leads to a steady accumulation of virtue as the individual lives out his time by upholding his vows.

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The Second Noble Truth

The Second Noble Truth concerns the causes of suffering. Suffering is generated by our mind; according to the Buddha, our main problems are delusional in nature – when we  show anger or ignorance, we create hardships for ourselves as well as others.

Attachment |  Anger  |  Ignorance

Attachment                                                                                                                    

Attachment to desire is a huge cause of suffering. It traps us in samsara, or cyclic existence. The concept of desire is sometimes misunderstood as desires for things. Desire comes in three guises – desire for sensual pleasures, the desire to become (something that we are not) and the desire to be rid of something.

When we eat delicious food, the desire for more is "kama tanha" or wanting sensual pleasure.

"Bhava tanha" (desire to become) is wanting to transform ourselves into something that we are not – when we strive to be happy or wealthy, when we project our importance, we experience bhava tanha. When disillusionment sets in, "vibhava tanha", the desire to do away with things arises. But wanting to get rid of anger, fear and stress is also a desire. Bhava and vibhava tanha are mirror images.


Anger                                                                                                                            

Every action has a consequence. Harming others will eventually result in our being harmed. Anger makes us harm other beings; in that sense it often becomes a cause of self-inflicted suffering.

Ignorance                                                                                                                    

Ignorance brings suffering because not being omniscient, we act in ways that lead to problems. We cannot foresee consequences or truly understand others. Also, we cannot see the nature of reality. The gulf between our perception of it and the Ultimate Truth is enormous. This inability to comprehend reality traps us in samsara, where we must inevitably experience suffering in some form.

The Second Noble Truth is about identifying that suffering is not entirely inevitable, neither are we helpless victims. Desire itself does not cause suffering; rather, reacting to it creates problems.

The First Noble Truth

Buddhism is a very practical "religion" that does not promote deification and theology. It is about straightforward and simple truths which, if followed in everyday life, can help people overcome suffering and achieve an inborn sense of happiness. While Buddhism does not encourage blindly following rules and principles, it is important to know the teachings and philosophies of Buddha to understand the discipline that Buddhism is all about.

 

The First Noble Truth 

The first of the Four Noble Truths propounded by Sakyamuni soon after he attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree was: “Life is suffering”. A depressing statement, indeed! “Suffering” however does little justice to the original, many layered Pali word, “dukkha”, which includes all things transient and conditional. In this sense, the most precious things and happiest of experiences in life ultimately bring dukkha – because they are impermanent and our attachment to them is strong.

The Buddha’s reflection was based on what he observed as Prince Siddhartha and later, a wandering monk – that the one factor uniting humanity was suffering.

The beginning of life is marked by suffering in the pain experienced by mother and child. As people age, their senses deteriorate and bodies grow weaker, causing suffering.  Disease brings dukkha; finally, death is the cause of much grief and pain. No one can avoid the suffering involved in being born, aging and dying. Worse, dukkha, whether in the form of a fever or loss of a loved one has to be endured alone. No one can fully experience the suffering of another.

The Buddha spoke of three types of mental suffering.

1. People feel dukkha when they are separated or lose loved ones.
2. The discomfort or stress felt in the company of unpleasant or hostile people is also dukkha. 
3. Being unable to get everything we want causes dejection and frustration – dukkha by another name.

The Buddha also reflected on the many kinds of happiness that exist – friendships, family life, good health, the joys of celebrating and sharing. But as real as these are, they are impermanent. Typically, people try escaping from dukkha by filling their lives with transient pleasures; when these fade, they are left struggling with reality.

Is there a way out? Buddhism teaches that the first step to end dukkha is simply to accept it.

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The Concept Karma in Buddhism

Karma (or kamma) in Buddhism means “action”. In popular discourse, it is often linked to fate or predestination. Karma however, refers to actions that are undertaken consciously. Stated simply, the Law of Karma decrees that every deed we perform knowingly will eventually produce similar results.

Just as the physical universe is governed by the laws of cause and effect, so too in the moral sphere. In Buddhist philosophy, Karma Vipaka is voluntary, willed action and the entire scope of its effects. Karma Phala is intentional action and its result. The Law of Karma in its entirety therefore, refers to both conscious action and its consequences in the fullness of time.

In Buddhism, the notion of Karma goes beyond a simplistic division into ‘good’ or ‘evil’.  Instead, Buddhist texts speak of ‘Kushala karma’ and ‘Akushala karma’. Kushala means ‘skilled’, ‘intelligent’ and ‘wholesome’, while Akushala means the opposite. Wholesome actions benefit oneself and society at large. They arise from wisdom, feelings of love, kindness, compassion and lead to happiness. Unwholesome actions on the other hand, originate from desire (in the sense of greed), ignorance and ill-will; their consequence is suffering.

All actions emanate from three sources – the body, mind and speech. Buddhist texts list ten negative actions from these sources that comprise Akushala Karma:

Actions of the body: Killing, robbing, sexual misconduct
Actions of the mind: Avarice, anger, delusion
Actions of speech: Lying, harsh words, spiteful gossip, slander

The fruits (Phala) of Karma may manifest themselves during one’s present life, the following life, or after several rebirths. While the short-term results of Karma can be easily verified by us, it takes an enlightened being like the Buddha to perceive long-term effects of Karma.

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The Buddhist Universe

In Buddhist cosmology, the word loka describes our world as made up of two inextricably linked aspects – sattvaloka or  the world of living creatures and bhajanaloka or the physical environment, comprising the elements, the celestial bodies, our earth, its oceans and continents. In this world, sentient beings are born, live and die, to be reborn over and over, in accordance with their levels of consciousness and karmic debt.

It takes 1000 such worlds to form a chiliocosm. A thousand chiliocosms become a medium-sized chiliocosm and 1000 medium chiliocosms comprise a great chiliocosm or a tri-sahasra-maha-sahasra-loka-dhatu. This is a Buddhaworld, a physical environment governed by universal laws where sentient beings can be shown the path to enlightenment – and therefore, spiritual liberation – by a Buddha. In the Buddhist view, there are several such Buddhaworlds, each governed by unique principles.

With Mahayana Buddhism came the concept of a Buddhaland that does not owe its existence to the benevolence of an all-powerful God or even the grace of a Buddha. Rather, it is the result of eons of striving by sentient beings towards self-purification, by devoting themselves to the happiness and well-being of others. Such an environment creates conditions favorable for all the world’s citizens to follow the Buddha’s Way and hopefully, attain liberation.

All Buddhist doctrines flow from this perspective of the universe. There is the practice of bowing to the six directions – East, South, West, North, above and below. Honoring these directions is symbolic of accepting and fulfilling one’s six social relationships:

• First direction – Parent-child
• Second direction – Teacher-student
• Third Direction – Husband-wife
• Fourth Direction – Friends
• Fifth direction – Employer-employee
• Sixth direction – Spiritual teacher-disciple.

 As the individual goes through life, he/she assumes many of these roles and must fulfill his/her duties well in each. Performing these responsibilities helps the individual understand human nature. To live peacefully among one’s fellow beings and help develop a society that is progressive, stable and generous is the way of Dharma.

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What is Nirvana in Buddhism?

Gautama Buddha explained nirvana as a state of transcendental bliss, one that may be attained during life or at the end of it. Roughly translated, nirvana means “to snuff out”, in the way one extinguishes a fire. In Buddhism, this has no negative connotations; rather, it means moving to another plane of existence by extinguishing the flames of desire, delusion, anger and hatred. In Pali, nirvana is termed as nibbana.

Attaining nirvana is closely linked to the concept of karma, where the cumulative actions and attachments of life become the reason for the soul’s becoming trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation. Following the teachings of the Buddha (the Noble Eightfold Path) leads to release from rebirth and the attainment of nirvana. Aptly, His Holiness the Dalai Lama describes this experience as a “state beyond sorrows”.

Nirvana’s other attribute is Bodhi or enlightenment, a complete awareness of the true nature of reality. An individual who attains or lives in bodhi is a Buddha.

Some Buddhists celebrate Nirvana Day to commemorate the Buddha’s attainment of nirvana. Parinirvana Day is usually observed on February 18th. On this day, followers of Buddhism visit monasteries or temples. It is a day to reflect on one’s life and how to work towards gaining nirvana. Buddhists also recall recent deaths of family members and close friends – a way to reconcile themselves to the inevitability of death.

 

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What is the concept of reincarnation or “endless wandering” in Buddhism?

Buddhist texts state that on the night the Buddha attained enlightenment, he was able to recall a vast number of his former lives along with specific details like his name, profession and caste.

Reincarnation – the rebirth of the soul in different bodies – is a key concept of Buddhism. This cyclic process is known as samsara, one that all creatures will go through unless they attain nirvana or liberation of the soul from rebirth. In Buddhism, samsara is also referred to as “endless wandering”. Buddhist scriptures say that neither the beginning of this process nor its end can ever be known for sure; importantly however, the process of rebirth can go on infinitely.

Reincarnation is closely linked with the concept of karma or the moral actions we undertake during each birth. Accumulating positive karma enables a being to be reborn in higher realms, while evil or negative karma pushes a person to be reborn into the domains of lower beings. To be liberated from reincarnation however, virtue alone will not suffice; one must strive towards wisdom, a deep understanding of reality that comes only with time and reflection.

The philosophy of dharma and the teachings of Gautama Buddha are principally aimed at enabling all sentient beings to recognize the futility of “endless wandering” and at pointing the way towards breaking free from the cycle of rebirth.

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