1.As disciples of
Amida and all Buddhas, our only refuge is Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. When we
enter the Buddhist Path and we are welcomed in the community of believers
(Sangha) we say the Three Refuges with faith and devotion: „I take refuge in
the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha”.
2.For us who
follow Amida Dharma or the Dharma Gate of birth in the Pure Land, to take
refuge in the Buddha means to take refuge in Amida Buddha. Only through Him can
we attain Buddhahood in the Pure Land as He is the only Buddha
among all Buddhas who made the Vow of saving everybody, no matter their
spiritual capacities.
3.By taking refuge in
Amida, we automatically honor and take refuge in Shakyamuni Buddha as the
Teacher who showed us the path of Amida Dharma (His main reason for coming
into this world) and in all Buddhas in the ten directions, as they all
encourage us, teach us and guide us to entrust to Amida Buddha.
4. Taking refuge in
the Dharma means to take refuge in the Dharma (teaching) about Amida that
was taught by Shakyamuni Buddha and further explained by the Masters of our
tradition, especially by Shinran Shonin and Rennyo Shonin. This Dharma on Amida
Buddha is the Amida Dharma, which is the teaching contained in this book. This
Amida Dharma book is the summary of the Dharma on Amida Buddha offered by
Shakyamuni and the Masters of our tradition.
5.By taking refuge
in the Dharma, we automatically reject wrong views or opinions that contradict
the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Masters of our tradition as they are
explained in this book.
6. Taking refuge in
the Dharma means that we make the vow of putting the Dharma higher than our own
unenlightened opinions and ideas. We receive and transmit to others only the
teaching left to us by Shakyamuni and the Masters of our tradition as it is
explained in this book.
7. All genuine
Buddhist teachings and practices come from Shakyamuni and various Buddhas, so
they are part of our enlarged family (Sangha) heritage, deserving our respect
and appreciation. However, we follow only the teaching on Amida Buddha and it
is only in this teaching that we take refuge.
8. Also, we do not mix
the Buddha Dharma with various religious systems from the past or present.
Buddhism is the medicine prescribed to us by the Buddha, who is supreme among the
teachers of all religions and all times and it is a grave mistake to mix His
teaching with those of other paths.
9.So, we abandon all
non-Buddhist teachings and select the Buddha Dharma. Next, among all Buddha’s
teachings, we choose only the Nembutsu of faith in Amida (Amida Dharma/the
Primal Vow).
10.To take refuge
in the Sangha means that we take refuge in those who have received faith
(shinjin) in Amida Buddha in the present life and whose future birth in
the Pure Land is thus assured. By taking refuge in them we wish
to be like them, we consider them to be our teachers and fellow travelers on
the path, our brothers and sisters in Amida Dharma.
11. Those who haven’t
received faith yet should look for the company of those who are firm in faith,
listen to their explanations and wish to become persons of settled faith
themselves.
12.We do not take
refuge in those who share false views or views that are not in
accordance with the teachings of the sutras and the Masters of our tradition as
they are explained in this book.
13.Amida Dharma
(Jodo Shinshu) Sangha is composed only of those who fully accept the teaching on
Amida Buddha as taught by Shakyamuni and the Masters of our tradition and as it
is explained in this book. It also contains those who have faith (shinjin) or
sincerely aspire to faith.
14. Those who do
not have shinjin (faith) yet can also become members of the Sangha, if
they sincerely aspire to shinjin and accept the teaching on Amida Buddha as
true. However, the object of our refuge
is the Sangha in its aspect of shinjin (Arya Sangha), that is,
practitioners who have a settled faith (shinjin) already. When those who are
not yet established in faith wish to enter the Jodo Shinshu Sangha, they take
refuge in this shinjin aspect of the Sangha.
15.The Three
Refuges are, as the term implies, a refuge but also an engagement, a vow and a commitment, that from now on we will forever
take refuge in Amida Buddha (and automatically in all Buddhas), we will only listen
and accept the Dharma about Him, and we’ll become persons who entrust ourselves
to Him.
16.When we say “I take
refuge in the Buddha” it means only in the Buddha, when we say, “I take refuge
in the Dharma” it means only in the Dharma, and when we say, “I take refuge in
the Sangha” it means only in the Sangha. The Three Refuges are exclusive vows.
One should stop any non-Buddhist religious activities after receiving the Three
Refuges. If one prays to non-Buddhist divine figures, engages in non-Buddhist
practices and has non-Buddhist religious teachers from whom one receives
teachings and instructions, that person breaks the refuge vows and from then on
he/she can no longer be considered a Buddhist.
17.No matter how
impressive the stories or the miracles of the non-Buddhist paths are, let us
not be deceived by them as none of them are based on the true reality, but on different
degrees of illusion.
Because
these non-Buddhist religions rely on unenlightened gods or spirits or on their
limited mental capacities, none of the non-Buddhist teachers can escape wrong
views. This is why a true disciple of Amida, Shakyamuni and all Buddhas should
only accept religious instructions from Buddhist teachers and never follow
non-Buddhist teachings that are, in one form or another, wrong views.
Also,
true follower must not worship non-Buddhist deities and not rely on
superstitions, lucky days, favorable or unfavorable times.
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