Vow of Refuge

I am excited to report that I took the Vow of Refuge yesterday. This means I am officially Buddhist. I even got a Refuge name: Patient Dharma Joy. I think that sums me up pretty well. This vow would be open to anyone who has come to the conclusion that the Buddhist path is the way forward for them. In this vow, first, one takes “refuge” in the Buddha, who embodies wakefulness. One then takes refuge in the dharma, the teachings as they have been passed down, and then the sangha, one’s fellow travelers on the path. Trungpa Rinpoche commented that the term “refuge” here is more in the sense of becoming a “refugee” as opposed to finding a refuge in security.  He described a refugee as someone who leaves behind the certainties of solidified existence. In doing this, they embark on a journey without fixed reference points, just working with their experience as it unfolds.

I had the opportunity to work with Acharya Susan Chapman again. She offered the Rigden week-end in Edmonton that I participated in about 5 months ago. She is truly an enlightened being. She has come to our Shambhala Centre in Nelson for about 10 days this month. So, I was the coordinator for the Rigden week-end last week. It was quite the whirlwind to have only been a participant a few months ago to being the organizer. But it was an honour to serve the Acharya and my community members. Ironically, we discovered that we had the same horse back riding coach in Vancouver with a 20 year gap! She had her last lesson in 1966 and I rode with this instructor from 1986-87 when I was about 11 years old. I notice that these syncronities happen offen when I meditate. I think it is the universe telling me I am on the right path.