May the Buddha find refuge in me

From the historical perspective, we are born, we live and we die. From the ultimate perspective, we have been born, we are being born, and we have yet to be born;, we have lived, we are being living, and we have yet to live; and we have died, we are dying, and we have yet to be born.

Many are familiar with taking refuge in Triple Gem:

I take refuge in the Buddha -
I respect his role a teacher and my own potential for awakening to Buddha-nature.
I take refuge in the Dharma -
I open myself to the truth the Buddha taught and experience it for myself.
I take refuge in the Sangha -
I support and am supported by the monastic and lay Buddhist community and the larger community of sentient beings.


This is an amazing commitment. It is easy to read it from the historical perspective, since that is how we think. There's nothing wrong with thinking that way - it doesn't pay in many cases to do otherwise. Yet it can also seem like we are just little links in a chain or small strands in the web, and following conventional thinking, have an attitude that this makes our role and hence our vows of some lesser consequence. The Buddha did so much and we are just following along and making the best of our lesser role. So in whom or what did/does/will the Buddha take refuge? It can be a little more challenging for some of us to consider the same vows from a different perspective...

May the Buddha find refuge in me -
may I sincerely offer myself to all who seek my help.
May the Buddha find refuge in the dharma -
may that which I share and affirm be beneficial to all sentient beings.
May the Buddha find refuge in the sangha -
may I graciously accept my ever-unfolding role in the web of interdependence.