INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION (HOW WE PRACTICE) sactoinsight.org

FAITH AND THE 3 REFUGES ―One should not chase after the past nor place expectations on the future.

Rather with insight see into each state as it arises in the moment.‖ - MN 133 Faith (saddha) is another skillful mental quality that supports meditation.

Some meditators are initially averse to acknowledging this factor given its strong connection with organized religion. However, we need at least a little faith to begin practice. If you believe that there is no value in meditation, it is unlikely that you would be reading this. So we begin with the kernel of faith that there may be some benefit to meditation. As our practice grows and we begin to see the benefits of practice, faith in practice grows as well. For many practitioners, faith in their practice becomes quite strong and keeps the forward momentum of practice going during difficult periods. At some point in practice it is helpful to formally acknowledge one‟s faith by taking the 3 refuges (tisarana).

These are spoken formally as: 1. I go for refuge to the Buddha.

2. I go for refuge to the Dhamma.

3. I go for refuge to the Sangha.

Most Westerners who take the refuges do not consider them as indicating a blind faith in a deity or a religious icon. Rather, we consider that the Buddha was a human being, like us, who was able to fully awaken. The Buddha taught us the Dhamma to 26