Developing confidence and fearlessness:
the Buddhist view of refuge

Geshe Tashi will offer formal Buddhist refuge on Sunday. If you are interested in taking refuge as a Buddhist, please contact Gordon McDougall at

We all want to be free of the problems that seem to haunt us, whether in our personal life or in the world at large. But, no matter how hard we try, we can't find genuine, lasting happiness. We lack a refuge from the storm that rages around us.

We are external beings, seeing problems as external things unconnected with our own states of mind and needing to be dealt with through external methods. Another term for a Buddhist is an "inner being," somebody who understands that all happiness and suffering is a state of mind and that the way to perfect peace is through understanding the mind and slowly transforming it from one of self-cherishing to cherishing others. Such a mind is the refuge that allows us true happiness no matter what the external circumstances.

In his Friday evening talk, Geshe Tashi will introduce this process of learning and transformation, and explain how we can become confident and even fearless in the face of whatever life throws at us.

In the weekend teaching and retreat, Geshe-la will look at what taking refuge means to a Buddhist. By studying the Buddha's teachings (the Dharma), we can gain confidence in the Buddha's qualities and in the community who follow his path (the Sangha). We can develop confidence that by following the route he set out, we can transform a troubled, turbulent mind to one of complete peace and happiness.

By taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, we can discover our inner Buddha, the potential to awaken; our inner Dharma, our deep understanding and wisdom; and our inner Sangha, the ability to grow and reach out to others.

Geshe Tashi Tsering is a Tibetan Lama who holds the Lharampa Geshe degree (the equivalent of a PhD) from Seramay Monastic University in South India, gaining the highest marks possible at every level of the sixteen-year course. Since 1994 Geshe Tashi has been based at Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, where he is renowned for his warmth, humour and ability to make the most profound Tibetan Buddhist philosophical teachings accessible to students. He teaches an extensive programme at Jamyang that includes both traditional texts and meditation, along with classes for students who are newer to Buddhism. To get a full range of the teachings Geshe Tashi has given in recent years you can visit the www.talkingbuddhism.com

Please also see an excellent teaching on Buddhist refuge by Lama Yeshe here