| Q: What you said so far is very interesting to me. How do I become a Buddhist?
A: Once there was a man called Upali. He was the follower of another religion and he went to the Buddha in order to argue with him and try to convert him. But after talking to the Buddha, he was so impressed that he decided to become a follower of the Buddha. But the Buddha said:
"Make a proper investigation first. Proper investigation is good for a well-known person like yourself."
"Now I am even more pleased and satisfied when the Lord says to me: 'Make a proper investigation first.' For if members of another religion had secured me as a disciple they would have paraded a banner all around the town saying: 'U Pali has joined our religion.' But the Lord says to me: 'Make a proper investigation first. Proper investigation is good for a well-known person like yourself.' "
In Buddhism, understanding is the most important thing and understanding takes time. So do not impulsively rush into Buddhism. Take your time, ask questions, consider carefully, and then make your decision. The Buddha was not interested in having large numbers of disciples. He was concerned that people should follow his teachings as a result of a careful investigation and consideration of facts.
| A fefuge is a place where people go when they are distressed or when they need safety and security. |
Q: If I have done this and I find the Buddha's teaching acceptable, what would I do then If I wanted to become a Buddhist?
A: It would be best to join a good temple or Buddhist group, support them, be supported by them and continue to learn more about the Buddha's teachings. Then, when you were ready, you would formally become a Buddhist by taking the Three Refuges.
Q: What are the three Refuges?
A: A refuge is a place where people go when they are distressed or when they need safety and security. There are many types of refuges. When people are unhappy, they take refutes in their friends, when they are worried and frightened, they might take refuges in false hopes and beliefs. As they approach death, they might take refuge in the belief in an eternal heaven. But, as the Buddha says, none of these are true refuges because they do not give comfort and security based on reality.
Truly these are not safe refuges,
not the refuge supreme.
Not the refuge whereby one is
freed from all sorrow.
But to take the refuge in the
Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha
and to see with real understanding
the Four Noble Truths,
Suffering, the cause of suffering,
the transcending of suffering and
the Noble Eightfold Path that leads
to the transcending of suffering,
This indeed is a safe refuge,
it is the refuge supreme.
It is the refuge whereby one is
freed from all suffering.
Dp 189-192
Taking Refuge in the Buddha is a confident acceptance of the fact that one can become fully enlightened and perfected just as the Buddha was. Taking Refuge in the Dhamma means understanding the Four Noble Truths and basing one's life on the Nobel Eightfold Path. Taking Refuge in the Sangha means looking for support, inspiration and guidance from all who walk the Noble Eightfold Path. Doing this one becomes a Buddhist and thus takes the first step on the path towards Nirvana.
| Taking Refuge in the Buddha is a confident acceptance of the fact that one can become fully enlightened and perfected just as the Buddha was. |
Q: What changes have taken place in your life since you first took the three refuge?
A: Like countless millions of others over the last 2500 years, I have found that the Buddha's teachings have made sense out of a difficult world, they have given meaning to what was a meaningless life, they have given me a humane and compassionate ethics with which to lead my life and they hav shown me how I can attain a state of purity and perfection in the next life. A poet in ancient India once wrote of the Buddha: To go to him for refuge, to sing his praise, to do him honour and to abide in his Dhamma is to act with understanding.
Q: I agree with these words completely.
A: So do I.
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