“Taking refuge will create the dependent connection through which you will gradually come to accomplish ultimate Buddhahood.”
—His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje “A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom”

What Does It Mean to Take Refuge?

Taking refuge is the entrance to the Buddhist path. It begins when we recognize that the ordinary things upon which we depend—possessions, relationships, status and even this body—are impermanent and cannot ultimately protect us from the suffering of samsara.

This recognition is not meant to leave us without hope. Instead, it turns our minds toward a source of refuge that is trustworthy and capable of guiding us toward liberation.

Why Do We Take Refuge?

We take refuge because we wish to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. We recognize the uncertainty of samsara and develop confidence in the wisdom, compassion and power of the sources of refuge.

For a Mahayana practitioner, this aspiration extends beyond our own liberation. We take refuge with the wish that all sentient beings may be freed from suffering and brought to complete enlightenment.

Refuge is therefore inspired by our recognition of suffering, our faith in the sources of refuge and our compassion for all beings.

In Whom Do We Take Refuge?

We take refuge in the Three Jewels:
The Buddha is the awakened teacher who shows us the way.
The Dharma is the teaching and the path that leads to liberation.
The Sangha is the community of realized beings who accompany and guide us along the path.

In the Vajrayana tradition, we also take refuge in the Three Roots:
The Lama, the root of blessings.
The Yidam, the root of spiritual accomplishments.
The Khandro, the root of enlightened activity.

In the Concise Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, we visualize our root Lama in the form of Guru Rinpoche, whose essence embodies the Three Jewels. We take refuge in the Lama as the embodiment of all the sources of refuge.

The key identifies the principal figures in the original composition. The painted replica above contains an additional lineage lama immediately above *Guru Nangsi Zilnön, so that figure is not separately identified on this key.

How Do We Take Refuge?

We take refuge with our body, speech and mind.

With our body, we offer prostrations. With our speech, we recite the refuge prayer. With our mind, we cultivate sincere faith, devotion and confidence while visualizing the field of refuge.

Taking refuge is not simply repeating words. It is entrusting ourselves to the path with the confidence that the sources of refuge can guide us beyond suffering. We take refuge not only when we are experiencing difficulty, but continually—during times of happiness as well as hardship.

In the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, we take refuge from this moment until attaining the essence of enlightenment. We imagine all sentient beings accompanying us and take refuge on their behalf as well as our own.

Through repeatedly turning toward the sources of refuge, our faith deepens, our obscurations are purified and the qualities of awakening gradually unfold within us.

Teaching source: His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group and published by Shambhala Publications.

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* Nangsi Zilnön means “Prevailing Over All That Appears and Exists.” It is a name for the form of Guru Rinpoche expressing mastery over appearances and experiences through realizing their true nature. Lotsawa House explains this form here⁠.

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