Taking refuge

Taking refuge

A talk given at Sravasti Abbey in September 2006.

Why we take refuge

  • Challenging our deeply ingrained beliefs
  • Setting priorities
  • Our potential
  • What it is we take refuge in
  • How the Buddhas benefit us

Taking refuge 01 (download)

Questions and answers

  • Letting go of opinions versus true care for others
  • Having compassion for yourself
  • Difference between compassion and self-indulgence
  • Working with craving and fear

Taking refuge 02 (download)

Objects of refuge

  • Ultimate and conventional aspects of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
  • Signs and marks of a Buddha

Taking refuge 03 (download)

The qualities of the Buddha

  • Qualities of the Buddha’s speech
  • Qualities of the Buddha’s compassion
  • Qualities of the Buddha’s mind

Taking refuge 04 (download)

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.

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