Since samsara is without beginning and end, I must turn away from it this very moment!
The gods of the non-Buddhists and so forth are not my objects of refuge!
The omniscient state of buddhahood alone is my true object of refuge!
This is how the special taking refuge takes place.
When taking refuge, mere lip service is useless. This is like empty muttering. It is uncertain where it will lead you.
What is the manner in which one takes refuge? You should take refuge with respectful body, speech, and mind. You should take refuge with three thoughts: fear of the lower realms and samsara, trust in the blessings of the Three Jewels, and steadfast faith and compassion.
The person who believes that this life is perfect and that the next one will also be perfect will simply die while still about to practice the Dharma. That is not enough.
In this context, you should know the rituals of taking refuge.
With what particular attitude does one take refuge? You should take refuge with a sense of responsibility for the welfare of others. You should take refuge with this attitude, as you will not attain the true and complete enlightenment simply by renouncing samsara and desiring the result of nirvana.
In order to free all sentient beings from the miseries of samsara, I will take refuge until I and all the sentient beings of the three realms have achieved supreme enlightenment!
In general, all wishing is dualistic wishing. Taking refuge without being free from dualistic fixation is not sufficient.
Lady Tsogyal then asked the master: How many kinds of training does the outer way of taking refuge entail?
The master replied: As soon as you have taken refuge you must skillfully practice the eight trainings, in order to prevent your commitment from degenerating.
She asked: What are these eight trainings?
He replied: First, there are the three special trainings: Having taken refuge in the Buddha, you should not bow down to other gods; having taken refuge in the Dharma, you should give up causing harm to sentient beings; having taken refuge in the Sangha, you should not associate with heretical people. These are the three special trainings.
To explain that further: First, having taken refuge in the Buddha, “not to bow down to other gods” means that if you bow down to mundane gods such as Mahadeva, Vishnu, Maheshvara, or others, your refuge vow is damaged. If you go to such gods for refuge, your refuge vow is destroyed.
Secondly, having taken refuge in the Dharma, “to give up causing harm to sentient beings” means that your refuge vow is definitely destroyed if you engage in killing. It is damaged even if you just beat other beings out of anger, enslave them, make holes in their noses, imprison them in a cattle shack, pluck out their hair, take their wool, and so forth.
Thirdly, having taken refuge in the Sangha, “to refrain from associating with heretical people” means that your vow is damaged if you keep company with people who hold the view and conduct of eternalism or nihilism. If your view and conduct are in conformity with theirs, your refuge vow is destroyed.
In any case, all Dharma practice is included within taking refuge. People with wrong views do not have this understanding.
These are the five general trainings.
1. When beginning your practice, make an extensive offering with a vast amount of the best kinds of food and drink. Present the offerings before the Precious Ones on the fourteenth day and beseech them to arrive for the offering. Following that, make offerings on the fifteenth day. These offerings are of four kinds: the offering of prostrations, the offering of material objects, the offering of praise, and the offering of practice.
First, the offering of prostration: Stand up straight and join your palms. Thinking of the virtues of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, imagine that you are touching their feet adorned with the design of the wheel as you make prostrations.
Next is the offering of material objects: Present offerings such as flowers that are entirely unowned by anyone and visualized offerings, as well as your own body.
Make praises with melodious tunes.
The offering of practice is to make the aspiration that the roots or your virtue resulting from having cultivated the bodhicitta of undivided emptiness and compassion may be for the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.
Master Padma said: The Three Precious Ones have not even an atom of need for a bowl of water or respect. The purpose of making the offering is to enable you to receive the light rays of the buddhas.
Concerning the offering of the best kinds of food and drink, make three heaps of the best type of food, and utter OM AH HUNG three times. Imagine that your offerings thereby become an ocean of nectar. Following that, envision your yidam deity surrounded by an infinite gathering of the Three Precious Ones and imagine that you present this nectar offering, requesting them all to accept it. If you are unable to offer in that way, simply make an offering while saying, “Precious Ones, accept this!”
If you do not have anything to offer, you should at least present bowls of water every day. If you do not do that, your refuge vow will degenerate.
The Precious Ones do not need these offering of material nourishment in the same way as sentient beings. The food torma is for you to gather the accumulations without noticing.
2. The second training is to not abandon the sublime Precious Ones even for the sake of your body, your life, or a valuable gift.
Regarding not abandoning the refuge even for the sake of your body: Even if someone threatens to cut your eyes out, cut off your legs, your ears, your nose, or your arms, you should let him do so rather than abandon the Precious Ones.
Regarding not abandoning the refuge even at the cost of your life: even if someone threatens to kill you, you should let him do so rather than abandon the Precious Ones.
Regarding not abandoning the refuge for the sake of a valuable gift: even if you are promised the whole world filled with precious stones in return for giving up the refuge, you should not renounce the refuge.
3. The third training is that no matter what happens to you, whether you are sick, under hardship, at ease, happy, or sad, you should lay out a mandala and the five kinds of offerings and offer them to the Three Jewels. Then take refuge and make this supplication:
Sacred master, great vajra holder, all buddhas and bodhisattvas, please listen to me! May all my sickness and whatever is caused by spirits and negative forces not occur. Please create peace, auspiciousness, and goodness.
Aside from this it is also appropriate to gather merit by reading the scriptures aloud, chanting, and offering tormas, since such practices belong to the basics for taking refuge. If nothing helps, do not give rise to wrong views, thinking, The Precious Ones have no blessings! The Dharma is untrue! Think instead, I shall feel better when my evil karma has become exhausted! Without pursuing other ways such as soothsaying and shamanistic rituals, engage only in taking refuge.
4. In whichever direction you travel, remember the buddhas and bodhisattvas, make offerings, and take refuge. For instance, if tomorrow you are going toward the east, lay out a mandala and make offerings today, taking refuge in the buddhas and bodhisattvas of that direction.
Which supplication should you make? You should supplicate as follows before taking leave:
Master, vajra holder, all buddhas and bodhisattvas, please listen to me! Please prevent obstacles caused by humans and nonhumans and make everything auspicious from the time of leaving this place until I arrive at my destination.
If you do not do that the day before departure you should do it at the time of departure.
At the time of leaving, if you do not remember to take refuge within ten or seven steps of crossing your threshold, your refuge vow is damaged.
Once you entrust your