The Meaning of Taking Vows - Part I 
 
I will be offering refuge vows later this month and next month I will be offering Bodhisattva vows. So today I would like to talk about the meaning and importance of taking vows in Buddhism. There are many vows one can take. Today I'd like to talk about three of them: 
 
1. Refuge Vow 
2. Lay Ordination (Precepts) 
3. Eight Mahayana Precepts 
 
Next week I will explain: 
 
4. Bodhisattva Vows 
5. Tantric Samaya 
 
Some vows are taken for a short period of time – like 24 hours or during a retreat, as in the case of the “Eight Mahayana Precepts.” Others, such as refuge vows are take for one’s entire life. And still others, such as the Bodhisattva vow are taken from now until enlightenment – so for most of us that means many lifetimes. 
 
The Tibetan word for vow or ordination means a binding or coming together. What is meant is the binding or coming together to guard the qualities and merits that we have developed so they will not be dissipated or lost.  
 
You should never take a vow that you do not intend to keep. You should never take a vow only half-heartedly. It is important to be very sure you are ready to make this commitment before taking any vows. It is better not to take a vow, than to take it and later break it 
 
The closest thing I can think of in our culture to taking Buddhist vows is when one makes the commitment to get married. Marriage is a commitment intended for life. As a consequence most people give this commitment considerable thought and consideration before entering into it. I believe the same kind of diligence should be given before taking Buddhist vows.  
 
Buddhist vows like marriage vows are a public declaration of one’s intention or promise. You may think of it as a promise or vow that you are making publicly. Usually such a public declaration of one’s intention carries with it a much greater weight or seriousness, than say a vow to lose weight. 
 
Taking the Refuge vow is when officially become Buddhist. It is considered essential before progressing further on the Buddhist path. It is a requirement before receiving other empowerments or initiations. When we take refuge, we take refuge in the: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. These are called the three jewels or the triple gem. A jewel is a rock that has no intrinsic value, except the value you give to it. Likewise the three jewels of refuge only have the value you give to them.  
 
First, we take refuge in the Buddha not as a God or as a savior, but merely as a mortal man who went on a spiritual search, and through his own efforts attained enlightenment. Many of us are on a similar spiritual search. So, we take refuge in the Buddha because of his kind and compassionate heart, he showed us that we also can attain enlightenment. 
 
We take refuge in the Dharma because it is through the Buddha’s teachings that we will be lead to the other shore of enlightenment. And finally we take refuge in the sangha (community of practitioners) because they help and support us along our journey. 
 
The traditional analogy used for taking refuge is that it is like taking a trek through the Himalayas. If we are venturing into unknown territory we would need a guide to show us the way. In this case the guide is the Buddha. The path we walk along is the Dharma. And those on the trek with us would be considered the sangha. 
 
The taking of refuge may also be thought of in two ways. There is the inner form of refuge and the outer form of refuge. The outer form of taking refuge would be the three jewels as external entities separate from ourselves. In the outer form of refuge the Buddha would be the actual physical Buddha. The Dharma would be the physical spiritual texts. And the sangha would be both the noble (enlightened beings) sangha, as well as the ordinary sangha. 
 
Taking refuge in the inner forms would be where the Buddha, Dharma and sangha are not separate from one’s own mind. I explain this in more detail during the actual refuge ceremony. 
 
When we have visiting Rinpoches they often offer refuge vows before the giving of empowerments. I offer refuges vows here at the Rime Center twice a year - in January and in June.  
 
The second type of vow I would like to explain is called Lay Ordination. Lay ordination involves the five precepts which are to abstain from: killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct or intoxicants. 
 
With Lay Ordination you can take only one, any two, any three, any four or all five precepts. Taking all five is termed complete ordination and they are taken for this lifetime. When I give Lay Ordination I require that students take at minimum of two of the precepts. The minimum two that I require are to abstain from killing and sexual misconduct. 
 
When we take lay ordination there is a single action which violate the precept completely and terminatse the ordination. 
 
In the first precept of not killing - you break or terminate the ordination by consciously taking the life of a human being. This is not to say that taking other forms of life is not harmful it is in fact a very harmful thing to do, both to ourselves and the other creature. It is said in the teachings that a single act of killing can have the effect of 500 lifetimes of karmic retribution. So in no case can we say taking the life of any creature is acceptable, but in the formal context of this ordination - the only act which specifically destroys the ordination is to take the life of a human being consciously. 
 
The second vow is not to steal. This literally means "not to take that which is not given". This is quite difficult to keep because it is broken by any action in which we take sometime that does not belong to us. This involves any act of theft or stealing - no matter how small. 
 
The third vow is one of sexual fidelity; it is a vow not be sexually unfaithful to your partner. This vow can be extended to one of celibacy - the same as a monk or nun if one chooses. 
 
The fourth vow is not to lie. Any lie, particularly one which is harmful or disruptive to another being is a negative act. But the specific kind of lie which violates this vow is to lie about our own spiritual attainment - to claim to have reached a certain level of realization when in face we have not. This is a fairly easy one to keep. 
 
The fifth vow prohibits the use of intoxicants. For lay persons this vow does not necessarily mean total abstinence but can mean simply not to drink to excess. When taking the vow one can choose whether they intend total abstinence or simply moderation in the use of alcohol. When I give Lay Ordination I ask everyone taking the vow to write down on a piece of paper specifically how they intend to keep the vow relating to sexual misconduct and the vow relating to intoxicants. I don’t need to see the paper, but I want the student to be clear in their own mind how they intend to keep these particular precepts. 
 
The fifth precept is considered an auxiliary precept. Originally at the time of the Buddha there were only the first four precepts. It is said the Buddha added precepts as he saw they were required to prevent us from harming self or others. There is a very interesting story about how the Buddha saw the need for the fifth precept. During the time of the Buddha the monks would go out every day with their only possession – a bowl - and ask for alms (food) for the day. One day there was a monk who went out asking for alms. He went to one house where he knocked on the door and a woman answered. The monk asked for alms and the woman invited him inside. Once inside she slammed shut the door and locked it, thus trapping the monk inside. She then told him, she would not let him leave until he did one of the following three things. He must either kill the goat in the yard, drink the bottle of liquor on the table, or have sex with her. The monk thought about his predicament and he knew killing the goat or having sex with the woman would violate his vows, but there was no vow against drinking alcohol. So he chose to drink the alcohol. According to the story he consumed the entire bottle of liquor and then killed the goat and had sex with the woman! So, the Buddha added a fifth precept of abstaining from intoxicants. 
 
Again, with the taking of Lay Ordination you can choose to take any one, any two, any three, any four or all five precepts; we should only take the vows we feel we can keep and they are taken for this lifetime. 
 
The other type of vows I’d like to explain are the Eight Mahayana Precepts which are similar to Lay Ordination, however there are additional vows and they are taken, for a prescribed period of time – usually 24 hours. They are often offered during a meditation retreat and are designed to assist the practitioner with his or her spiritual practice, so as not to be distracted by worldly pleasures. These vows are traditionally offered at dawn, just before the sun has risen. It is said they should be offered when there is just barely enough light to see the lines on the palm of your hand. 
 
Because the Eight Mahayana Precepts are temporary vows they are taken much more strictly than with the Lay Ordination. For example, the first vow pertains to refrain from killing, however in this more strict context it means not killing any living being – even insects. The second vow is to refrain from stealing, and this means not taking that what is not offered. The third vow is to refrain from committing false speech (lying) but it also includes not spreading gossip or slander. The fourth vow is to abstain completely from the sexual act during the period of the vow. This is so that we can keep our mind and concentration on the spiritual practice of meditation. The fifth vow is to abstain completely from all intoxicants (including alcohol, cigarettes, mind altering drugs and any other substance that loosens voluntary reserve). The sixth vow is to abstain from sitting or sleeping on a large, high or expensive bed. While this may sound strange to westerners it has to do with eliminating pride. That is because in eastern cultures sitting or sleeping on a high or expensive bed is associated with wealth and even royalty. The seventh vow is to refrain from eating food after 12:00 (noon). Only liquids are allowed, the reason for this is because fasting in this way means our body is lighter and our mind is clearer. Our sleep will be lighter and our mind will be clearer the next morning. 
 
The eight and final vow is really in two parts, but it is considered one vow. The first part is to abstain from singing, dancing or playing music not because they are wrong - but because we are trying to create a calmness conducive to meditation. The second part of this final vow is to abstain from using perfumes and adorning the body with ornaments in order to avoid possibly stimulating sexual desires. Again, it is not that this bad or wrong, but rather that we are trying to create calmness conducive for meditation. 
 
Once you have received these vows in a transmission from a teacher, you are then free to take them again in the presence of a shrine on any day you wish. Likewise, you are also authorized to give the transmission to others. 
 
It is said there is incredibly merit for keeping these precepts for even one 24 hour period. For example in the Victorious Concentration Sutra it says: 
 
"Buddha says that if with a calm mind one makes offerings of umbrellas, victory banners, light and jewel ornaments to a hundred billion Buddhas for eons equal to the number of sand grains in the Ganges River, a great deal of merit is acquired. However, if, during these degenerate times when the holy Dharma, the teaching of the One Gone to Bliss, has almost ceased, one keeps just one precept for a day and a night, the merit acquired is far greater than that of giving all those offerings to an uncountable number of Buddhas over such a long period. 
 
Therefore, if the Restoring and Purifying is protected just once in one’s life, the amount of merit accumulated is equal to the vastness of the sky and, as one accumulates this merit, one gradually achieves perfect happiness. By understanding this, one can see how fortunate one is to have the opportunity to take the ordination and how meaningful it is during these difficult and degenerate times. It is like finding billions of wish-fulfilling gems. 
 
Even though one may not own one atom of a precious gem or have a single dollar, by keeping this ordination one can attain both temporary and ultimate happiness. The person who owns enough wish-fulfilling gems to fill the sky but does not keep even one branch of morality cannot attain rebirth as a human or a god, can not practice Dharma to accomplish any of the three great purposes (higher rebirth, liberation or enlightenment), and cannot enjoy perfect helpers and enjoyments." 
 
We often offer these 8 Mahayana Precepts during weekend retreats. So during the year there are many opportunities for you to receive and keep these temporary vows that are believed to be of incredible benefit to the practitioner and believed to generate incredible merit. 
 
 
 
There is a story in the Buddhist teachings about an arhat by the name of Katayana who was so highly realized that he was able to visit other realms of existence. One of the realms of existence that he visited was the preta or hungry ghost realm. This is a realm that is believed to be characterized by intense suffering because the beings there have huge swollen stomachs, long narrow necks and little tiny mouths. They are always hungry, but because of their physical condtion they can never eat enough and are always suffering. 
 
Katayana visted a Preta woman who lived in a big beautiful mansion. She was waited on, hand and foot, by many servants. During the day Katayana and the Preta woman had wonderful discussions on many subjects as the servants served them food and tea. As night began to fall the Preta woman said to Katayana, “I am sorry but I must ask you to leave. You see at night something terrible happens here and I don’t you see or be a part of it.” Surprised by this, Katayana, thanked the Preta woman and left. As the sun was setting, Katayana, walking down the road looked back at the beautiful mansion, surprised to see it had turned into a chamber of horrors! The mansion was now a blazing mass of fire and the servants had turned into horrible demons who were roasting the Preta woman alive on a spit as they poked and tormented her.  
 
It seems that in a previous life the Preta woman worked as a butcher, slaughtering animals, because she had never heard the Dharma teachings and didn’t know what she was doing was wrong livelihood. Then one day she heard the Dharma teachings and realized what she was doing was wrong. But because this was the only profession she knew and because she was a single parent, it was nearly impossible for her to give it up. So instead she made a vow not to slaughter any animals at night, and she kept this vow the rest of her life. The karmic consequence was that she was reborn in the preta realm but only experience suffering part of the time.  
 
So again, we take vows to guard the qualities and merits that we have developed so they will not be dissipated or lost. Taking vows is a formal declaration of one’s intention – it is a promise or covenant one is making to oneself. Not unlike a wedding vow, or a monk’s or nun’s vow. 
 
So, the important point is you should never take vow that you do not intend to keep. You should never take a vow only half-heartedly. It is important to be very sure you are ready to make this commitment before taking any vows. 
It is better not to take a vow, than to take it and later break it 
 
Next week I'll explain the meaning of the Bodhisattva vows and of Tantric Samaya.