Taking Refuge in Yourself

Beginning today, call the Buddha your teacher. Never again take refuge in the mistaken teachings of other paths. And may you experience the compassion of your own Three Treasures. Good friends, I urge you all to take refuge in the Three Treasures of your own nature, wherein 'Buddha' means enlightenment, 'Dharma' means truth, and 'Sangha' means purity.

Take refuge in the enlightenment of your own minds. Those whose delusions do not arise, who have few desires and who know contentment, who are free from wealth and sex, they are called the 'best of two-legged creatures'.

Take refuge in the truth of your own minds. When your thoughts are free from delusions, you are therefore free from attachment. And freedom from attachment is called the 'best of what transcends desire'.

Take refuge in the purity of your own minds. No matter how many afflictions and delusions are present in your nature, because your nature remains uncorrupted, this is called the 'best of congregations'.

Ordinary people don't understand this. Day after day, they recite the Precepts of the Triple Refuge. But when they say they take refuge in the Buddha, where is the Buddha? If they don't see the Buddha, they aren't taking refuge in anything. And if they aren't taking refuge in anything, their words are false.

Good friends, each of you should examine this for yourselves. Don't misdirect your attention. The sutras only say to take refuge in the buddha of yourselves. They don't say to take refuge in some other buddha. If you don't take refuge in your own nature, there's no other place of refuge.

---The Platform Sutra---