Expert: Laurie McLauglin - 7/9/2010

Question
Hello Laurie,
    Please could you tell me the Refuge Ceremony Prayers I need to learn for the Gelug Refuge Ceremony, also anything else I will need to learn and recite, as I am Taking Refuge in March next year? Thank you.
                        Love to you and all beings,
                        Jenny.

Answer
Hello Jenny -

Thank you for letting me ansewer your question.

I rejoice that you are going to take your refuge vows next March.

From what I know, one usually does not know the prayers or vows one takes before the time of taking them.

Obviously if you are you going to a Refuge Ceremony then you need to know that you are taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.  This means that you will not seek refuge in anything more than you seek refuge in the three jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

You can take refuge in things just as strongly as you do in the three jewels but there must not be anything you trust more than them.

I assume you know a good deal about the three jewels already.

When I took refuge, it was within the context of an empowerment so I did not go through a refuge ceremony.

When I asked one of the ordained sangha at the retreat center where I live she said that usually the Geshe or Lama or whoever is going to confer the vows to you, you just basically repeat after the Geshe or Lama so there is no real need to learn the prayers before the ceremony.  At least that is how it is within our lineage.

Where I study it is Gelug as well but we have a lot of Tibetan teachers. So some of the ceremony would be in Tibetan. Will that happen with you?

The founder of our tradition, the FPMT, Lama Thubten Yeshe said this about the refuge ceremony:
"At this point a question may arise. "If taking refuge is a matter of relying on our own inner wisdom, why do we have a formal refuge ceremony? Why is this ritual necessary?" The answer is that it reminds us how critical the moment of taking refuge is: it marks our arrival at a crucial insight into our own nature. So many times in the past we have sought security in trivialities, but now we have discovered our innate capacity to fulfil the most exalted destiny of all: complete emancipation from suffering. We are determined that, from this moment on, rather than taking refuge in ephemeral fictions, we will take refuge in our own pure, clear wisdom-energy and set out on the path to liberation. The ceremonious action of taking refuge strengthens this determination."

Lama Yeshe's successor, Lama Zopa put together a 14 page booklet called "Refuge in the Three Jewels" on taking refuge which you might be interested in getting.  It costs 8 dollars and you can get it from the FPMT website Foundation Store.

Again, as far as I know there is nothing to learn and recite before the ceremony as you usually just repeat what the teacher says. The main thing is to have the right motivation when you go for the Ceremony and to If it is in Tibetan, I can give you some words you might need to know if you let me know.

I wish you much success and joy in your pratice and with the ceremony.  If you have any other questions, don't hesiate to ask.

Namaste - Laurie