Kundalini Splendor

I have long been puzzled by the advice given to practicing Buddhists that they must first of all "Take Refuge in the Buddha.' Yet Buddha admonished his followers to "be a light unto yourselves" and not to accept the teachings of others until they had first tested the validity of these thoughts in their own minds. As we know, the teachings of the "founders" of any religion often become distorted as creeds and institutions grow up over the years, often resulting in dogma which can become the opposite of the original meanings.

Robert Thurman is one of the foremost scholars of Buddhism of our time. His
explanation offers a very different interpretation of "Taking refuge in Buddha" from that offered by many sects, who prefer a more literal interpretation, one binding the follower to accept the dictates of a narrow band of interpreters who feel that they, somehow, and only they, have the ultimate answers. I prefer Thurman's interpretation, for it confirms the validity of the "direct path," in which one listens to the voice of the "guru within," rather than external authority.

frpm The Three Jewels of Buddhism
What it means to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
BY: Robert Thurman
From "The Jewel Tree of Tibet" by Robert Thurman. Copyright c 2005 by Bob Thurman, Inc.



The Three Jewels are the foundation of all forms of Buddhism, and the first jewel is the Buddha. The word buddha means "the Awakened One." And it doesn't mean only Shakyamuni Buddha, formerly the prince Siddhartha, who became a perfect buddha in the sixth century before the Common Era in India, whom we sometimes call the "historical buddha." Buddha means all those who have awakened from the sleep of ignorance and blossomed into their full potential.
Awakened and blossomed, they are teachers of others. That role is just as important as the fact that they're awakened themselves. Remember that awakening, freedom from suffering, salvation, if you will, liberation, omniscience, buddhahood, all come from your own understanding, your insight into your own reality. It cannot come just from the blessing of another, from some magical empowerment, from some sort of secret gimmick, or from membership in a group. It can't even come only through your faith, although some good faith may help. It can't come through meditation, either, at least not by meditation alone.

So, the most important element of Buddha to us, until we become buddhas ourselves, is that Buddha is a teacher, and he gives us a teaching. Now, teaching is not an indoctrination; it's not imposing a dogma. A teaching gives us a set of methods that we can use to develop ourselves, to learn, to think over, to meditate upon, and finally, to gain deep, profound, transforming insight, wisdom, and understanding.

So, we take refuge in the Buddha: Namo buddham sharanam gacchami. We turn to the teaching of the reality of bliss, the teaching of the method of achieving happiness in whatever form it comes to us, whether it comes as Christianity, whether it comes as humanism, whether it comes as Hinduism, Sufism, or Buddhism. The form doesn't matter. The teacher is Buddha to us, one who can point the way to our own reality for us. He could be a scientist; she could be a religious teacher.

Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Buddhism/2005/04/The-Three-Jewels-Of-Buddhism.aspx#ixzz1ljOgSxY8