Going for refuge.
Every Buddhist tradition begins in the same place — with three short lines, said with care. They mark the moment you decide, in your own time, that the Buddha's path is one you would like to learn. This page explains what those lines mean, what you can take on alongside them, and how to make them your own.
It is an orientation, not an escape.
The English word refuge can sound like a hiding place. The Buddhist sense is closer to turning toward. In Pali, the verb is saraṇaṃ gacchāmi — "I go for refuge." Not run from. Go toward. You are choosing something reliable to act from, so that the rest of your life can be lived from a steadier place.
You are not converting. Going for refuge is not a renunciation of whatever religious tradition you grew up in. Many people who go for refuge have a Christian, Jewish, or Muslim background; many have none at all. The act is closer to enrolling in a school than swearing allegiance to a flag — you have decided to learn from a particular teacher and tradition, and you are naming that out loud.
You are not promising perfection. Refuge is not a vow to be enlightened by Friday. It marks an intention: to take the Buddha as a teacher worth listening to, the Dharma as a teaching worth studying, and the Sangha as a community worth being part of.
You can do it on your own. The traditional ceremony has a senior monastic recite the lines with you, but the act itself happens in your mind. You can go for refuge by yourself, here, on a phone — and it counts. When you are ready for the formal version, we would be glad to help; see the bottom of the page.
Three lines, one path.
The same three lines anchor every Buddhist tradition — Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna alike. Each one names something you can lean on: a teacher, a teaching, a company of fellow travellers.
Buddha
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
I take refuge in the Buddha.
The Buddha was a historical person — Siddhattha Gotama, who taught in northern India about 2,500 years ago. To take refuge in him is not to worship him. It is to accept that someone, once, found a way through human suffering, and to commit to learning what he learned.
Dharma
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
I take refuge in the Dharma.
The Dharma is what the Buddha taught: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the practices of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. To take refuge in it is to study it seriously enough that, in time, it begins to shape how you see things.
Sangha
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
I take refuge in the Sangha.
The Sangha is the community walking the same path — monastics, lay practitioners, and teachers, across traditions and centuries. To take refuge in it is to remember you are not alone, and to accept the help of those who are further along.
Five training rules, taken on freely.
After going for refuge, a practitioner usually takes on a small set of ethical commitments — the Five Precepts. They are not commandments handed down from above. They are training rules you take on yourself, because each one, kept, makes the mind clearer and the heart lighter. You can take them all today, or one at a time. Most teachers will tell you the same thing: start where you can keep your word.
Refrain from killing.
Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
Not only human life — any living creature you can reasonably avoid harming. The training is in noticing how often the impulse to swat, step on, or strike arises, and choosing differently. Vegetarianism is encouraged in many traditions; in the early texts it is not strictly required.
Refrain from taking what is not given.
Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
Stealing in the obvious sense, yes — but also the subtler forms: a padded expense report, software you have not paid for, time stolen from an employer. The training is honesty about what is yours, and equanimity about what is not.
Refrain from sexual misconduct.
Kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
The conduct that harms — adultery, exploitation, coercion. Most lay practitioners read this as: be honest with your partner, be honest about your intentions, do not use sex as a weapon. Celibacy is a practice for monastics; it is not asked of householders.
Refrain from false speech.
Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
Lying, yes — but also gossip, harsh speech, and idle chatter that wastes other people's time. The training is in noticing what you are about to say before you say it, and asking three quiet questions: Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?
Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.
Surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
This is not a temperance crusade. The point is that meditation needs a clear mind, and the path needs sustained attention. Intoxicants take both away. The training is to notice when, and why, you reach for them — and to find, over time, that you reach less.
You can do this today, alone.
If you would like to go for refuge now, here is a short ceremony you can follow by yourself. Take your time with it. Nothing rushes a beginning.
Find a quiet place.
Sit on a chair or cushion, with a posture you can hold comfortably for ten minutes. If you have an image of the Buddha, set it where you can see it. If you do not, that is also fine — the act lives in the mind, not in the room.
Settle the body and mind.
Take three slow breaths. Notice the weight of your body on the seat, the air on your skin. Wait until the surface of the mind is a little calmer than when you first sat down. There is no need to hurry past this step.
Reflect briefly on why you are here.
You do not have to be sure of everything. It is enough to recognise that the Buddha's teaching has touched you, and that you would like to learn more of it. Hold that intention in mind for a few breaths.
Recite the three refuges, three times.
Say each line slowly. Mean what you say. Then return to the first line and repeat all three a second time, then a third — traditionally, the three repetitions mark first commitment, deepening, and confirmation.
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
Repeat all three lines a second time, then a third.
Take on the precepts you are ready for.
This step is optional, and you may take any number of the five, in any combination. The traditional formula is all five; many teachers will tell you to take the ones you can keep, and add the rest when you are ready.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from killing.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from taking what is not given.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual misconduct.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from false speech.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.
Sit quietly for a few minutes.
Notice how the mind feels. You have done something simple and old — generations of practitioners, on every continent, have done the same. Let the moment settle. There is no need to make it bigger than it is.
Dedicate the merit. (Optional.)
In the Buddhist tradition, any good done is shared. If you wish, close with this short dedication, or with words of your own:
May any merit from this practice
benefit all living beings,
in this life and beyond.
What people usually ask.
Do I need a teacher to do this?
For the act itself, no — the Buddhist tradition has always recognised that intention is what counts. For the path that follows, yes, sooner or later. A teacher can show you what a book cannot.
Am I leaving my old religion?
Only if you want to. The Buddhist tradition has no creed about other religions, and no requirement to renounce one. Many practitioners hold both — going to a Buddhist temple on Sunday morning, a church on Sunday evening, with no felt contradiction.
What if I am not sure I believe everything in Buddhism?
You do not have to. The Buddha himself encouraged students to test what he said. Going for refuge is a statement of intent to study, not a profession of faith. Belief, if it comes, comes from practice — not the other way around.
Is one tradition's refuge different from another's?
The three lines are the same across Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna — every Buddhist tradition begins here. The ceremonies around them differ in detail; the heart of the act is identical.
Can I take refuge for a child, or as a child?
A young child can take refuge with a parent's guidance. For the formal version, most teachers will want the practitioner to be old enough to understand the words. There is no hard age — readiness is the measure.
What comes next?
Sit. Read. Find others on the path. If you would like a teacher's guidance, write to us. Most practitioners begin a daily meditation around the same time as taking refuge — twenty minutes is plenty to start.
We would be glad to walk with you.
If you would like the traditional ceremony — with a monastic reciting the refuges alongside you, and the chance to ask whatever questions remain — please write. We hold informal refuge ceremonies for visitors at Ru-Yi, and remote ceremonies, by video call, for practitioners abroad.