White Tara asked:
“Grandmaster Lu! Are you familiar with the samaya of taking refuge?”
I replied:
“Yes, it is stated clearly on the certificate of taking refuge. When one takes refuge in Buddha, one must refrain from seeking refuge in other gods or beings. When one takes refuge in Dharma, one should study Buddhadharma and refrain from causing harm to any living being. And when one takes refuge in the Sangha, they should cease associating with heretics."”
White Tara said:
“Grandmaster Lu! Do you know the true meaning of taking refuge?”
I said:
“When someone takes refuge in the Three Jewels, Buddha becomes their great teacher, Dharma guides their spiritual journey, and the Sangha becomes their supportive community in this path to enlightenment.”
I added:
“Finally, one attains buddhahood.”
White Tara asked:
“What is Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha?”
I replied:
“Buddha is the awakened one, with proper and universal knowledge, beyond comparison, worthy of the highest honor. Dharma refers to the teachings that the Buddha handed down, and only this lineage of dharma teachings can end the reincarnation of sentient beings and their transmigration through life and death. As for the Sangha, they are keepers of dharma teachings and are our companions in cultivation. Hence, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are our only objects of refuge.”
White Tara said:
“What you said is all correct. Then what is broken samaya?”
I replied:
“When someone takes refuge and then seeks refuge in false paths, their samaya is broken. When someone takes refuge and then causes harm to others, their samaya is broken. When someone takes refuge and then abandons their commitment to the Three Jewels, their samaya is broken. When someone takes refuge and then gives up on their spiritual practice due to worldly pursuits, their samaya is broken. When someone takes refuge and then shows disrespect towards the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, their samaya is broken. Regardless of whether favorable or adverse events occur, once someone takes refuge, they must never abandon their commitment to the Three Jewels.”
White Tara asked:
“Do you take refuge only once?”
I answered:
“No. I take refuge constantly!”
White Tara asked:
“What do you mean by taking refuge constantly?”
I replied:
“This is a secret - every day, I recite the Fourfold Refuge Mantra, constantly keep the Three Jewels in my thoughts, and regularly reflect on my reliance on them. I invoke the Three Jewels, pay great homage to them, make great offerings, offer words of praise, and pray for their blessings. I rely on the Three Jewels as my refuge throughout my journey until I buddhahood.”
White Tara said:
“This is the correct way of taking refuge!”
White Tara asked:
“And who is your true refuge?”
I answered:
“This is highly secretive. My true refuge is self-refuge. I find refuge in my own buddha-nature.”
I added: “I take refuge in the perfect and enlightened dharma body of buddha-nature; I take refuge in the incredible stillness and natural state of self-nature; I take refuge in all sages and saints who are of the same body, neither separate nor different.”
White Tara then gave praise:
Revered lineage root guru,
By accomplishing your origin you become the yidam.
Bestowing dakinis with blessings,
Never departing from your three roots at all times.
White Tara said:
You have “seen” and validated buddha-nature.
You have “cultivated” into the realm of meditation.
You have “carried out” one refuge.
This is already the highest level of taking refuge. Buddhahood and reincarnation are one. This is beyond the limits of language and beyond any category. This is the unexcelled state of perfect enlightenment.
This is indeed:
The most, most, most, most secret form of taking refuge.