‘Taking refuge’ is a core subject in Tibetan Buddhism. When we decide that Buddhist insights and practices are helpful to us, it’s called ‘taking refuge.’ But what exactly are we taking refuge in?
As it’s been a while since I last did a video, I thought that instead of writing about this important subject, I’d do my best to explain the different ways we may understand it.
In recent weeks, I’ve seen that a video I did a couple of years ago, ‘What is shunyata?’ seems suddenly to have been more widely circulated. I wouldn’t call it ‘going viral’ - a much more modest version of that idea!
What I do with these short videos is to offer brief introductions to key Dharma concepts. Videos are increasingly popular, but when searching the likes of Youtube, I’ve found it hard to discover lamas who offering short, pithy overviews. Which is why I am doing just this.
For newer subscribers who may have missed some of my previous videos, or if you’d like a refresher, for convenience I have gathered them together here .
I am sorry that they don’t all have subtitles - captioning wasn’t so accessible when I first began.
Because the Tibetan Buddhist path is sometimes described as comprising renunciation, bodhichitta and shunyata, I started with these core subjects.
What is renunciation in Tibetan Buddhism?
‘Renunciation’ is an important concept in Tibetan Buddhism. Often, it marks the start of our inner journey. But what is it? The ‘sackcloth and ashes’ idea we have of renunciation in the West actually has nothing to do with it.
What is Bodhichitta?
The folded hands of my precious lama Zasep Tulku Rinpoche. In Tibetan Buddhism the position of the palms is cupped rather than flat - a physical recognition that we hold the precious jewel of bodhichitta in our hands
What is Shunyata?
If you go to a teaching on shunyata by a Tibetan Buddhist lama, you will often be told that it is a profound subject with many complex implications. That it can be a slippery concept - now you have it, now you don’t. And that it can take some people years to form a resolved understanding of the subject.
Three pairs
Just a quick visual reminder of some of the amazing residents at Wild is Life/Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery, who we collectively support:
Members of the orphaned elie herd …
Kudu, with their distinctive corkscrew horns and stripes, which helps camoflage them in the bush surprisingly well
I’ve always had a soft spot for ‘warties’ - warthogs. Here they are on their knees, as is usual when feeding. When alarmed, they can run at some speed, their spindly tails sticking up vertically giving them the nickname ‘radio-controlled pigs’!
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