Orientation will be held on
Sunday, March 9 and 16, 2025,
at 12:30 p.m.
Once a year, on the Buddha’s Birthday (Wesak), individuals come together to take or renew the Eight Precepts. Anybody can follow the Five Precepts, but what makes a person a Buddhist is going for refuge, the first three precepts, which are the Three Refuges. They are then practised daily, and at least once a week with the Sangha. Going for refuge is also like someone travelling for the first time to a distant city. They will need a guide to show them which path to follow and some travelling companions to help them along the way.
- The Buddha is the guide.
- The Dharma is the path.
- The Sangha are the teachers.
Prerequisite: Six months of sitting and practising with Sangha. Must have a full-time Abbot or guiding Buddhist teacher assigned. An orientation will be held for those people who want to take the Three Refuges and Five Precepts and who meet these requirements.
Although being interested in Buddha-dharma is fine, it cannot replace the necessary formal relationship between student and teacher, alongside the internal (rather than merely external form following) dedication to the Buddhist process. In one sense, taking the precepts is the full engagement of a community and thus requires presence at the ongoing events and practice of said community.
If you have taken them in the past, but haven't gone for Refuge and practiced with your Sangha for at least two months, or if you consistently break the precepts, then it is advised that you renew them.
Preparatory instructions for the Ceremony will be given at the Orientation.
Although being interested in Buddha-dharma is fine, it cannot replace the necessary formal relationship between student and teacher, alongside the internal (rather than merely external form following) dedication to the Buddhist process. In one sense, taking the precepts is the full engagement of a community and thus requires presence at the ongoing events and practice of said community.
If you have taken them in the past, but haven't gone for Refuge and practiced with your Sangha for at least two months, or if you consistently break the precepts, then it is advised that you renew them.
Preparatory instructions for the Ceremony will be given at the Orientation.
The Three Refuges and Five Precept-Taking Ceremony will be held on May 11, 2025.
Register by emailing sistertinhquang (at) yahoo (dot) ca,
by February 29, with ORIENTATION in the subject line.
The Path of a Buddhist begins when you are ready to take this step.
I vow to offer Refuge and the precepts only to those who wish to take them with a sincere and open heart.
