02. Week 1 - Teaching 1 – Kadampa Festival Notes

2025 Summer Festival

02. Week 1 - Teaching 1

2025.07.26

While we’re in this very blessed environment we can listen to and contemplate a very special message from our founder and SG:

  “Welcome everybody to the NKT International Festival. The NKT international festivals are the special method to maintain the International Kadampa Buddhist Union from generation to generation. We should know this union is very important. With this union we can fulfil our own and others wishes easily. So please keep this message my your heart. With much love and prayers, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso”.

Contemplate our Guru’s special message. If we do, we will appreciate our NKT Festivals more and more, how important it is for us to gather like this year after year.

The title of this year’s International Summer Festival is “How To Be A Kadampa”. Geshe-la said:

  “Please rejoice in your good fortune, and please be happy with your spiritual family. This is your spiritual family. We are one body.”

During week 1 we will receive the blessings of refuge. And we will begin to receive commentary from Advice from Atisha’s Heart. In week 1 the commentary will come principally from teachings on the Kadampa Way of Life and refuge in 1994 and the teachings on the Kadampa Way of Life in 2007.

1994:

  This evening I’m going to give an introduction to refuge. In general it is not only Buddhists who go for refuge. Everybody takes refuge in someone or something.

Refuge means protection from fears and suffering.

  In this impure world of samsara, since everyone has to experience fear and suffering, even those who deny the spiritual path and Dharma, often need to seek refuge. When great dangers or natural disasters arise people cry out to others for refuge. When there is fighting during war, sometimes people seek refuge underground. If we feel there is some danger that someone is going to kill us, we seek refuge in the police. We immediately call them to protect us. Whatever problem we seek refuge in someone or something. For instance when there is a danger of fire developing we seek refuge in firemen, or we run to a safe place. So we seek refuge in a certain place. When we are seriously ill we take refuge in the doctor’s medicine. We hope that the medicine will reduce our pain or extend our life and so forth. When animals or birds are chased by other animals, they seek refuge in holes in the ground. We know all this. Everybody is seeking refuge from suffering. When did we start this seeking refuge from suffering? Since beginningless time. We know this very clearly.

Is this just a Buddhist wish? No. This is the deepest wish of all living beings. Each and every living being longs for freedom from physical suffering and mental pain. This is not difficult to understand. We are always trying to find protection from suffering in this impure world of samsara.

  However, although everybody has sought refuge from suffering since beginningless time, our suffering, fears, and dangers are getting worse. This happens from generation to generation. We should think, ‘Why is this?’ Everybody, even a newborn baby, has to experience suffering. When a baby is born from a mother’s womb he or she experiences horrible things and cries. This means that the baby is seeking refuge in something or someone. So everybody including animals and human beings seek refuge from suffering and fear. But fears and difficulties are becoming worse. Instead of reducing, they are increasing. ‘Why is this?’ It is because the objects to which we go for refuge are not objects of actual refuge. The things and beings we go for refuge in are not actual refuge. They are normally ordinary and in reality by nature contaminated objects, samsara’s things, which have the nature of suffering and misery.

So we know that our human technology is always increasing, becoming more and more powerful. And many countries are creating powerful technologies and weapons, e.g. nuclear weapons. All of these countries are doing this with the motivation to protect themselves. Now many countries have these weapons. And so this is not refuge, this is not protection - it’s become the method to destroy the world and living beings. Which took a lot of intelligence to create, but it’s not wisdom. This is not actual refuge. And so what’s happening is our world is becoming more and more dangerous. We’re going for refuge to material development, improving technology etc, but dangers are increasing. This is the result of concentrating solely on material development and ignoring pure spiritual teachings - internal development, e.g. wisdom, compassion, mental peace, consideration for others and so forth.

  Although many people take refuge in worldly spirits or other worldly beings such as powerful human beings, gods, etc, these worldly beings cannot provide actual refuge. This is because they themselves are not free from cyclic rebirth. They also experience suffering in this prison of samsara. They are experiencing the same as what we experience, so they have no freedom. Even though they sometimes help us relatively speaking, many times they also cause us suffering and harm. They are completely unreliable. And so they cannot be our objects of refuge.

No matter how much of samsara’s enjoyments or successes we have, they don’t give us any satisfaction. And all of them disappear when we die. They cannot protect us at death and after death. So in reality they are deceptive. They are not actual refuge.

  Within all the things in samsara, in this world, there is nothing we can find that is suitable to be the object of our refuge. We can see that the real nature of everything in samsara whether high or low, good or bad, is that of misery and suffering. They are objects of our attachment, anger, and ignorance. So they are the causes of our suffering and are not objects of our refuge. Although we are always seeking refuge in these things they cannot be our actual refuge. Because they are the nature of suffering. They cause us suffering. Their nature is true suffering. Within samsara we cannot find anything that can provide actual refuge.

Do we believe that?

  This is clearly indicated by the fact that although everybody seeks refuge in someone or something, fears, sufferings, and difficulties are increasing and getting worse. This is a clear indication that all these things, all these worldly beings, spirits, and so forth are not actual refuge. There is clearly no doubt about this.

Without a spiritual guide we are so lost. It’s not only that we aren’t finding the freedom we’re seeking, but we’re creating the opposite. What would we do without our SG who gives us such precious Dharma instructions?

So we need to find refuge from a different source, or we have to say that there is no refuge anywhere, that refuge doesn’t exist. There are only these 2 possibilities. Either there is no actual refuge, or that refuge does exist, but it can only be found from a different source other than samsara. The conclusion has already been made by Buddha Shakyamuni and previous realised beings. They concluded that holy Dharma is the only actual refuge. When we check carefully, what is the actual refuge or protection? We will never find it within samsara, whether from a higher being or lower being, whether good things or bad things. None of these can be actual refuge. What is the actual refuge and protection? Only holy Dharma is our refuge. As Shantideva said, “Only Buddhadharma is the medicine to cure suffering and is the source of all happiness. Therefore may Buddhadharma flourish.”

Buddhadharma is not an external object. Dharma is as you know a realisation of Buddha’s teaching. It is the realisation of the SOTP.

Dharma means protection. It means Buddha’s teachings. And the inner realisations that arise from putting Buddha’s teachings into practice. This is the real refuge and protection. What exactly is a realisation?

  A realisation is a stable and non-mistaken experience of a virtuous object that directly protects us from suffering. (NKT Glossary)

Therefore Dharma realisation is inner protection of spiritual experience that directly protects us from suffering and harm. We can take for example, the practice of compassion - through which we can accomplish an actual realisation of compassion. We will eventually develop a spontaneous wish to permanently liberate all living beings from suffering. This is the realisation of universal compassion. Then having gained a perfect realisation, we will never again willingly inflict harm on any living being. We will also naturally try to protect others from suffering. This is our real refuge and protection. When we have Dharma realisations we are protected from engaging in the causes of suffering. We will overcome our delusions and non-virtuous actions which are the causes of our suffering. So we have an inner protection from suffering, which is our real refuge. This is what we need.

  There are 21 realisations of the SOTP that are achieved by practising the 21 meditations.

We also have the 14 Lamrim meditations in HTUTM, and the 15 meditations in MODWA.

  These realisations are holy Dharma, our actual refuge. When we achieve any of these realisations it directly protects us from fear and suffering. They directly eliminate unpeaceful minds and delusions from our mind and will directly protect us from fear and suffering. They therefore destroy the main cause of suffering. Because of this we can always maintain a peaceful mind and we can experience happiness. For this reason only Dharma is the actual refuge.

E.g. by gaining deep experience of renunciation we will be directly protected from the suffering of desirous attachment or uncontrolled desire. By gaining a realisation of bodhichitta we will be directly protected from delusions of anger, self-cherishing etc. By gaining a direct realisation of the correct view of emptiness we will be protected from all the suffering and problems caused by self-grasping ignorance. We will experience deep inner peace. Even with a small experience of Dharma we can begin to control our delusions.

If we want actual refuge or protection we must establish the realisations of the SOTP. We can attain these realisations by practising the 21 meditations that are explained in Th New Meditation Handbook. There is no other possibility. We need to accomplish it in our mind. We cannot find protection outside our mind, in external things. We should understand these things clearly by examination and checking carefully. Atisha said, “You should always watch your mind.” We should watch our mind and check what kind of thing we are thinking about. What are we seeking? And what kind of results are we experiencing? Through examination we can understand clearly that within external things or within samsaric development we cannot find any refuge. ==Since beginningless time until now we have been seeking refuge in samsaric development, which in reality is totally devoid of any refuge.== {Story of thieves looking for gold in Milarepa’s cave.} We are also seeking refuge in objects where there is a total absence of refuge. We have made a big mistake due to our ignorance, due to lacking of Dharma wisdom. Due to this ignorance we have spent all our life and all our previous lives looking for but not finding any refuge. Now through receiving Dharma teachings, reading Dharma books, hearing Dharma teachings and through sincere examination we can understand that in this impure world, and within impure beings, and within impure objects, we will not find any refuge. All these are impure and contaminated. They are the nature of suffering, and are therefore the cause of suffering. How can they be the source of refuge? So I am saying there is only one other possibility - we can find refuge from a different source. Fortunately thousands of realised beings established clearly that holy Dharma is the actual refuge. They explained giving very good reasons, proving this with valid reasons and through their experience. And through following their very clear instructions we can find refuge. We can understand this very clearly. E.g. even before we attain Dharma realisations, when we are just beginning to practice, some experience will provide temporary protection from suffering fear and we will temporarily solve our problems. Even if we haven’t realised the perfection of patience, and we are just trying to practice patience, it will temporarily protect us from developing anger within our mind. This will solve all the problems that develop from anger. If we develop compassion it is the same. Try to practise Dharma according to Lamrim and see how it works. Definitely you will understand clearly that it helps. Even if we have no actual realisation of contentment but if we try to practice contentment, then all the suffering that is produced from discontentment and attachment will cease. We will always be happy because we will say, “I am OK. I have enough.” We already see that some practitioners are very happy even though they have poor conditions, whereas other practitioners find it difficult even with very good conditions. Why is this? It is because one practises contentment and the other does not. Some beggars are very happy. They think, “I don’t need much. Maybe someone will give me food today. That’s OK”. But some rich people in high positions can have so much suffering. This is because they don’t practise contentment. From this point of view the beggar is richer that the other person. His mind is very rich, he is completely satisfied.

Even if we haven’t developed a realisation of the perfection of moral discipline, just by practising moral discipline alone will give many good results. Temporarily it eliminates our gross distractions. That makes our meditation, concentration, and Dharma practice progress easily. Then we are happy. We are really experiencing real happiness. Happiness that comes from the heart. So even if we try to practice a little, this can also be said to be refuge. And if we gain actual realisations permanently we can solve our problems and protect ourself from all our fears and dangers.

Without establishing Dharma realisations within our mental continuum, there is no other object of protection or refuge. If from our side we never try to practise, never try to establish or accomplish refuge in our mind, Buddha cannot take away suffering with his hand; he cannot give us his own realisations directly. He cannot share his happiness with is. The important thing is that from our own side we need to establish refuge, the realisation of Buddha’s teaching. By practising sincerely we can accomplish actual refuge. Without establishing the realisations of Dharma in our mind, there is no other refuge. No one can protect us directly from suffering. Therefore the most important thing is that we need to accomplish or establish realisations of the SOTP by practising Dharma purely and sincerely. Without practising Dharma we cannot attain deep experience of Dharma. Understanding alone cannot protect us from suffering.

From Modern Buddhism:

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We enter Buddhism through the practice of going for refuge. For our practice of refuge to be qualified, while visualizing Buddha in front of us we should verbally or mentally make the promise to seek refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha throughout our life. This promise is our refuge vow, and is the gateway through which we enter Buddhism. For as long as we keep this promise we are inside Buddhism, but if we break this promise we are outside. By entering and remaining inside Buddhism we have the opportunity to begin, make progress on and complete the Buddhist path to liberation and enlightenment.

We should never give up our promise to seek refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha throughout our life. Going for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha means that we apply effort to receiving Buddha’s blessings, to putting Dharma into practice and to receiving help from Sangha. These are the three principal commitments of the refuge vow. Through maintaining and sincerely practising these three principal commitments of refuge we can fulfil our final goal.

When Atisha went to Tibet he mainly taught refuge. So the Tibetans called him The Refuge Lama. He was delighted in this because their practice of refuge will be the foundation for all the SOTP of Sutra and Tantra.

01. Introduction 03. Mahayana Refuge Ceremony