So for all beings with two feet or four feet or many feet or no feet or having form or being formless or having perception or being non-percipient or being neither-percipient or non-percipient the Tathagata is ranked as the supreme,
The foremost,
The Buddha.
So if we have faith in the Buddha,
If we have confidence in the Buddha we have confidence in the supreme being in the whole universe.
If we have confidence and faith in the supreme being in the universe and we are expressing that by making a public declaration to that effect when we are taking precepts and we set up the intention in our heart to truly take refuge in the supreme being in the universe we are connecting with that,
We are associating,
We are affiliating ourselves with what is supreme.
Once we feel connected and we are affiliating and associating and dedicating ourselves and take refuge in what is supreme how could we be worried about anything?
How could we be anxious about anything?
Whatever issues there are,
Whatever problems this is something that no one can take away from us whether there is coronavirus or not or who ultimately becomes the next president in the US whatever happens,
Or whether we die from coronavirus or we die from something else,
From a heart attack or we live another hundred years as long as our faith is there in our heart and we continue taking refuge in the supreme being in the universe we continue associating and affiliating ourselves with him no one can take that away.
All these other external events,
There is just something external.
That is a great thing,
That faith is in our own heart conviction,
Confidence in the Buddha and there is something internal,
So it means no one can take it away from us.
It doesn't really matter whether they count all the votes or which vote they count in an election this is right here in our heart and there is no anxiety left the more confidence,
Conviction and faith fills our heart for the supreme being in the universe the less space there is for anxiety the less space there is for worries and even if we end up dying,
Which surely not one day we will even that can't take away our confidence in the supreme being because that confidence is in the mind,
In our heart,
In consciousness it is not in the body we only lose the body at death but the quality of sadha,
The first of the five spiritual faculties we will take with us and they will go to the next life and connect to the next life so even death can't take that away from us and death is usually the ultimate anxiety so once we know that even death can't destroy the faith we feel in our heart we feel great confidence the confidence is actually already in the English language in a kind of antonym,
Kind of opposite to fear and anxiety of all conditioned phenomena conditioned phenomena is things of this world,
Impermanent they are wise due to causes and when the causes are exhausted the result will also be exhausted and will come to an end the basic characteristic of all the objects in this world an arising is seen and later a passing away will occur and arising and the passing away is based on conditions and causes so for all these things which are conditioned the noble eightfold path is considered supreme that is a dharma you have just taken refuge in of all teachings,
Of all doctrines,
Philosophies,
Religions this is considered the highest in the universe and when we have confidence in that and not only confidence but we make an effort,
We dedicate to ourselves to actually practice that when we are affiliated and associated with that dharma even if we haven't fully practiced it yet but you are obviously practicing the eightfold path when you take these precepts the wide action,
Wide intention,
Wide livelihood that is wide effort,
You have to make sure that even the mental definements don't become too strong so that you can maintain these precepts really pure you have wide view if you have the intention to come out here or to listen at least whatever on Facebook or podcast and join the precept ceremony that is based on the wide view that this is something good and wholesome so if you are already committed to and practicing to at least some extent the supreme teaching in the universe,
The noble eightfold path what should we be worried about?
And now we are on track now and this eightfold path will merge into Nibbāna just like the great rivers ultimately all streaming into the ocean similarly the practice of the eightfold path will merge into the end of death and suffering and the experience of the highest happiness,
Nibbāna of all phenomena either conditioned or non-conditioned this passion is ranked the highest,
Virago there is a synonym here for Nibbāna because that is the only non-conditioned phenomenon so the high level of abstraction,
You can separate everything in the whole universe into two classes one class anything that is impermanent and arises due to conditions and then passes away due to conditions that is basically everything anyone knows except for the noble ones every normal person knows nothing else and conditions things and then there is one other thing which is unconditioned and is known as Nibbāna but there are many other synonyms,
It is also known as the refuge it is known as security,
It is known as peace it is known as the highest happiness it is known as the amazing,
The marvelous it is known as the shelter it is known as safety it is known as dispassion,
Fading away,
Virago so if anything in the whole universe,
This is the ultimate supreme thing and even if we haven't realized it in our heart yet and so far our heart only knows conditioned things we have taken refuge now in that Dhamma and even without realizing it we are inclining ourselves towards that and this Dhamma is obviously beyond any danger beyond any possibility of experiencing any fear which is why all the noble ones particularly the abhans fully realize there is Nibbāna,
There is no fear in their heart,
It is impossible,
It can't even arise so we incline our heart and take refuge in that supreme being and in that supreme Dhamma beyond fear,
Abhaya,
Is another synonym for Nibbāna the fearlessness and how could there be anxiety?
Once we are on that track,
Once we know,
We follow that noble path as far as we can at least and then gradually more and more until it merges into complete safety and security and there is no more anxiety in our heart what is there instead is a wholesome self-esteem often we may be unsatisfied with ourselves,
Critical it can be very hard on ourselves sometimes we have shortcomings,
We have made mistakes but whatever the shortcomings,
Whatever the mistakes now we have associated ourselves with the Buddha,
The supreme being now we have committed ourselves to practice this supreme Dhamma now we have inclined our heart towards one day fully realizing that supreme Dhamma so how could we not respect ourselves for that?
We are not yet fully part of that but we are getting closer,
We are having faith in that we have taken refuge,
We have committed,
We have made a commitment so it is important to reflect on that and to see that quality in ourselves and then we can develop some respect and appreciation for ourselves never mind if we have shortcomings and if we have messed up in the past now we are someone who has taken refuge in what is supreme and how could we not appreciate that?
How could we not feel a sense of accomplishment and even rejoicing about that act?
So taking refuge is a great way of building up self-esteem in a wholesome way and it gives us something to appreciate in ourselves it gives us something to even admire in ourselves to look at ourselves with appreciation and a sense of accomplishment of all groups and communities,
Of all associations and organizations this one is considered supreme,
Namely the eight kinds of persons the four pairs of individuals,
The Sangha of the Noble Disciples of the Buddha so that is the Sangha of those who have realized the Supreme Dhamma at least on the first stage of stream entry or on the very slowest level who have matured their faculties so much that it is by now sure that they will realize it at least on the first stage in this very lifetime the path and food of the four attainments so from the stream-enters and those who have matured enough that they will definitely become stream-enters in this life and then up to the ones returners and those who have matured for that the non-returners third stage of enlightenment and those who have matured that they will achieve that stage definitely in this life and finally those who have realized a supreme Dhamma already in their heart that is the Sarvaka Sangha the term Sangha is also used for the conventional Sangha the monks and nuns who are ordained,
Who are in robes and have done a proper ordination,
Have not committed a paragical offense they are the conventional Sangha and emotionally for many people this is often almost synonymous and largely overlapping but now the true refuge,
The Buddha talks about here and there are only those who have realized that and it will include also the lay community so a fake monk,
Someone who has committed a paragical but still walks around in robes he would actually not be part of that Sangha he wouldn't be even part of the conventional Sangha as a lay person who has seen the Dhamma by realization and as a stream-enterer they are part of the Sangha of the disciples even a good monk who hasn't done anything wrong but who hasn't realized yet or a good nun who has no escaping precepts but hasn't realized that they are part of the conventional Sangha but they are not part of the Sarvaka Sangha and if you take refuge it is referring to the Sangha of the disciples so I have realized the Dhamma because else the refuge might be a little bit shaky because else it might happen that someone takes refuge in a monk or nun and then has a big disappointment but if they have a big disappointment because that member of the Sangha is messing up then obviously that member of the Sangha wasn't really a disciple they hadn't realized yet of course there is quite a bit of overlap and often the majority of those who have realized them may well be also part of the conventional Sangha and wearing robes but it is good to keep in mind that also the lay community if they realized Dhamma in their heart then they are part of that Sangha of noble disciples the most supreme community in the universe and even if we are not yet part of it because the realization is not yet there in our heart now we have taken refuge in them and we have kind of now you may call it an affiliated membership in that club you are not quite in yet or maybe on the waiting list you are wait-listed now you haven't realized yet but you have taken refuge you are committed to being a disciple of the Buddha you are committed to practicing the Eightfold Path and you are on the waiting list to join the club of the noble disciples and you are on the waiting list to join the club of the noble disciples and even just being on the waiting list of the supreme club or organization in the universe is quite a bit and if you reflect on that you will feel very happy internally you will not blame yourself for any little shortcomings instead you will appreciate and feel loving kindness towards yourself a positive attitude something that you can even admire in yourself that you are on track and joining that supreme organization and already you have some affiliation and then there is also a huge reduction in any anxiety would you feel anxious if you are walking right behind the Buddha and when will Sādi put her and when will Ma Moggallāna on your two sides and at one minute at another next to it would there be any fear?
Not really,
No and that is the idea once we have done that refuge our heart is close to them physically of course all the ones I mentioned have already attained Nibbāna their body is no longer around so we can't be close to their body I can still be close to the quality of Buddha in our heart Buddha means awakened,
Woken up and that is something which we can ultimately even experience in our own heart this is a big difference if you are on a waiting list for a flight I think there are still ten thousands of people who are trying to get back to Australia and haven't managed yet and I think some were on the waiting list several times and then on the day when the flight finally was meant to take off it was all cancelled again,
Cases like that this is because someone else makes a decision who in the waiting list gets in actually remember that in India the waiting list for the train tickets it was a huge battle,
Those days when I travelled you could book the ticket I think a year beforehand and some people told me in Calcutta they said it opens a year before and he is there when it starts and he only gets a wait list ticket and then the battle ended to get onto the train but the problem is when someone else makes a decision when you get in but here it is all up to ourselves and the moment your heart realises with the Supreme Dhamma Nibbana even just on the first level then you are no longer on the waiting list and you are in and no one can stop that there is no one externally deciding that so you are on the waiting list and the decision is made in your own heart and when it happens then no one can stop you and if we reflect like that we feel great confidence the opposite of fear and anxiety if we reflect like that we feel respect and appreciation and loving kindness towards ourselves rather than anger and resentment so many of you I know how much faith and affection you have for monks how generous you are and how respectful now consider even if you are not a monk or nun but you are now associating,
Affiliating,
You are on the waiting list and you are part of the supreme Sangha of disciples so you should have a similar appreciation and respect as you feel towards member of the conventional Sangha who are ordained wearing robes even to yourself once you have taken that refuge you will treat yourself with a similar attitude of respect and appreciation and affection so I have a little Dhamma talk on using the supreme refuge in Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha to overcome any anxiety in our heart to use the supreme refuge into Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha not to build up appreciation,
Respect,
Affection towards ourselves any questions here in the Dhamma hall or on any of our numerous?
Nothing?
Do you all appreciate your safe now?
So many people have negative attitude towards themselves so we take refuge and we have something we can look up to in ourselves and it's important to also reflect on that we take refuge but later also we bring it to mind,
We recall it it also means our standards for how we behave usually increase whatever we do and we feel,
Now I am someone who is on the waiting list for the supreme organization in the whole world so I behave myself and as we behave ourselves,
By which I mean keeping these precepts actually that's another one which is supreme in this world among all the precepts,
Training rules which are dear to the noble ones these are the very ones which you have just taken if they are pure,
Unmodeled,
Unblemished,
If you keep it impeccably if you keep it immaculately,
These training rules if you continue training,
Improving,
If there is any shortcoming you set up your mind to try better in the future you commit yourself again,
You continue training and you don't cling and identify,
But you just use it as a tool to purify yourself these precepts,
And you understand that they will lead and guide your heart towards samadhi and that samadhi will lead and guide your heart towards wisdom and wisdom,
Panya will allow you not to realize the destruction of all defilements and the attainment of nibbana and with that understanding,
Then you will practice all these precepts practicing the supreme precepts in the universe and again you feel great happiness,
Confidence and you feel appreciation for yourself
