Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 23-minute ceremony, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides students through taking refuge and precepts. He clarifies who should retake refuge (not those who already have), addresses physical positioning (sitting is fine if kneeling hurts), and explains the optional precepts—advising beginners to choose one or two vows they can realistically keep. He emphasizes abstaining from killing, noting all beings fear death. He explains the three jewels: Buddha as the example of liberation; Dharma as the actual medicine that heals the root of suffering (unlike worldly medicine, which only treats symptoms); Sangha as those achieving freedom. He guides students through three repetitions of the refuge prayer, stressing the importance of genuine determination and sincere change of mind and action.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 17 2005 04 19 8 Ver Th Trans.mp3
UUID: 36ddddcd-e298-4d0b-adf9-79bccf83d604
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Malaysia (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005-04-19
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 23.5 minutes
Words: ~1,607
Yeah. Who is taking refuge, you know, then do three prostrations to Buddha. I prostrate, live, live, live, live in Buddha. Then after that, the lama will reveal.
Then three three prostrations. Okay? Yeah. Okay. It’s not that you have to those who have taken refuge before, it’s not that you have to take refuge again.
It’s not that. But in case there’s this vow you have taken along with that and they generated and you want to revow again, then that can be done. Okay? So if you have finished the three prostrations to the Buddha and me, then then you can those who can kneel down, then you kneel down. Those who can’t kneel down, you know, then too painful with it, can’t kneel down, then you can just can relax.
Yeah. So, if one is taking a vow besides refuge, there’s abstain from the killing and there’s abstain from there’s abstain from, say, stealing, then there’s abstain from, say, sexual misconduct. So mainly mainly main thing is that the the the relationship with the with the person that say, say, anything like other, you know, husband who has, know, owner, wife or wife who’s owner, say, husband. Have a relationship with other people other people. So the that that they have an owner.
The person’s owner, you know, that person not free, you see, has owner. You see, not free, having owner. So like that, you see, that then it becomes a fault of sexual conduct, you see, have a relationship outside, you see. Other. So major things like that is as far as sexual conduct.
Then abstain from the thing, then abstain from alcohol. So like that. So from those whichever one whichever one you think one can will you think that you can practice, that you’re going to that you’re going to put effort to practice from those whichever you think you can. So all of that. So normally, I emphasize killing because that is the kind of sort of a I think it which is a heavy I think it depend depends on the situation, I think.
But generally, killing is the nobody wants to be killed, you see. Maybe animals, they don’t want be killed. So I think that I use the killing as that at least one. Even you can’t take others, but at least one from there. And that’s such a vow, killing.
But it doesn’t have to be killing. If the killing one is difficult, you can take, like, stealing, abstaining from stealing. You can take the abstaining from alcohol or from lying. Can choose some can choose something else, you see. Like that.
Yeah. So now here. That as long as I’m in Samsāra, I continuously get to say tortured by tortured with the suffering of pain, suffering of change, and the pervasive compounding suffering as long as I’m in saṃsāra. So therefore, then this time, while I have met Buddhadharma, I met a virtuous friend, and I received, you know, precious in my body, I have all the opportunities. See, to be free to be free from saṃsāra, to be free from the cycle of death and birth, you know, and to achieve enlightenment.
So therefore, I’m going to as a for the benefit of sentient beings, I’m going to see achieve the nirvana state, great liberation. And from now on, I’m going to take Buddha as founder of the refuge. The Dharma is actual refuge. Sangha is a supporter to practice Dharma, the actual refuge within my heart. Yeah.
So, you see, then going into refuge, pray. I’ll motivate like that. Then Please repeat this. Please repeat this as a ceremony prayer. Those who have taken high ordination, they get to take six of the vows like that, they should not repeat.
They should not take a lower vowel. Otherwise, it makes you lose the higher vow. They should be taking only refuge or vows. It’s not it doesn’t mean you can’t take refuge, but it is the at the end, what comes out, I’m going to take only refuge of Upāsaka vows. Mhmm.
Yeah. Yeah. There’s many patients who can’t do that. Those who have taken higher vows, you see, like, three hundred sixty vows — Please mention your Okay?
Please mention your name. That means the entire day. You know, I’ll go for go for refuge. Then you see, go for refuge and say, go for refuge and then take the vow with simplification. If yeah.
If you’re taking only the refuge, then over, only the refuge, one vow, you should think like that. If you’re thinking, you know, one or two to three other precepts, then one vow, two vows, three vows, four vows, or complete What’s the complete I say complete what’s the vow? I’m taking like that. Sangye la kyabsu chiwo, then it’s going for refuge Buddha. So you think in your heart, one of his whose holy mind is free from all the defilements, gross and subtle, and completely in all the qualities.
So you think in mind that, and then go and then you go for refuge to that, one hundred thousand, you know, hundred thousand times much more than excellent doctors who cure sickness but only temporarily. Then next, taking refuge in Dharma. So Buddha has a conventional Buddha and the Absolute Buddha. Absolute Buddha is the Buddha’s called the wisdom dharmakaya. Conventional Buddha is the supreme attainment, the rupakaya manifestation.
Now Dharma has also two conventional Dharma and the absolute Dharma. Absolute Dharma is the cessation of the suffering and the true path, the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. Conventional Dharma is the scripture the three basket teachings. Yeah like that so like that, the thing that we take refuge in is Dharma. Hundred hundred thousand times much more than the medicine, which can even it cures the sickness, but only temporarily.
Doesn’t doesn’t heal the cause of sickness, delusion, karma. So dharma, but Dharma heal ceases the cause of suffering. Not only sickness, cause of all the suffering. Seek completely. And you are this way, you are able to free from all the suffering.
Now, love taking refuge in Sangha. There there’s a conventional Sangha, absolute Sangha, absolute Sangha, Sangha. Absolute Sangha. Then who can be can be doesn’t have to be four. Here, it can be one can be also lay person.
But one person can be also lay. Anyone who has a realization of actual Dharma, cessation of suffering, true path, that’s absolute Sangha. But conventional Sangha, that means four fully ordained monk or nun living in Pure Vow. And if you who do not have realization of absolute Dharma, that’s the that’s the conventional Sangha. As of four, then maybe also can do it four members maybe also can do activities of ordaining, you know, the like the the the minimum is the five.
So even four or even one cannot ordain. So what I think. Do take refuge with your love in Sangha, one hundred thousand times much more than the doctors even they help but the sickness even recover but only temporarily. So I just use when I say prayer, complete, not opposite vow. That doesn’t mean because otherwise, you know, you have to repeat each according to each person takes much time.
So such such really easy like this. Please repeat. Third time. So end of third end of third repetition. End of third repetition, you see.
Then you don’t say Why? Because the end of third repetition, then I become say, you see the refuge. If you take only refuge, the refuge only refuge over the vows. If you take them then they’ve lost from the five, and then then you’re you’re taking whatever number you’re taking or or the complete one. So over the complete vow or over the three vow or two vow or one vow.
You can say that. I have received. So here’s a very important, make strong determination without wavering. And the third repetition, when I say loudly, loudly, then that time without wavering, maintain a strong thought. So I received the vow, the refuge.
Okay? Refuge. That’s then I become know, Lopon means the leader of disciples leading them to the power of liberation. So that mean so the the spiritual master yeah. So how how the the spirit master lead the disciple to liberation is by giving vow.
And then let the disciple to practice and that bring that become the basis, you know, for all the attainment, realization of the path to liberation. So then that’s how we wanna achieve liberation. You see it. Back in the back. Yeah.
Like this. Yeah. So please repeat the third one. Please repeat your name. Now, next one is only those who have taken vow, one vow, two vow, three vow, five, whatever you see.
Some those one, two, Okay? And repeat. Then what he’s saying is that as the previous arhats,, as they took this vow, they changed their mind and actions. I live by the vow, then I also today, you know, when I change my mind and action, I live by this vow. When I say, you say, this is the method.
So I think it’s meant to lead you to liberation. So then you are respond to that. Yes. You know, you said. So that’s one Tibetan word you speak, is ‘pho.
One Tibetan language. So now, Now you you can relax just as the oral transmission. Those who haven’t received the oral transmission yet, now one oral transmission is done. They