Enter the Stream · 皈依
Take Refuge皈依真佛宗
Taking refuge is a commitment to spiritual cultivation — an aspiration to live a nobler and more meaningful life. Through refuge in the root guru, His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng, one enters the lineage and receives the empowerment that opens the gate of Vajrayana practice.
What refuge means
In the True Buddha School, taking refuge means entrusting oneself to the Triple Jewels — the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha — through the root guru who embodies them. It is the doorway to the school's practices, from the Fourfold Refuge onward, and the beginning of an actual path of cultivation rather than admiration from afar.
His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng, who holds the dharma title Great Blessing Vajra, is the Root Guru of the True Buddha School. In Vajrayana Buddhism the lineage transmission is indispensable: the blessing of the whole lineage flows through the root guru to the disciple, and without that connection the teachings cannot take root and practice does not bear fruit. Taking refuge establishes precisely this connection — the guru becomes the wellspring from which every subsequent empowerment, teaching and blessing reaches you.
Refuge is open to everyone, without distinction of race, nationality, gender or former religion. It is conferred on a donation basis with no set fee, so that no one is ever turned away.
The Fourfold Refuge · 四皈依
南摩古魯貝 南摩不打耶
南摩達摩耶 南摩僧伽耶
Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ya,
Namo Dharma ya, Namo Sangha ya
I take refuge in the Guru, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
The merits of taking refuge 皈依的功德
Having taken refuge, the disciple begins the Root Guru Practice — the foundation of every other practice in the school. Those who cultivate it sincerely are said to receive both worldly and spiritual blessings.
Health and long life
Body and mind are steadied by the guru's blessing, and obstacles to wellbeing are cleared.
A harmonious family
Discord softens; the household becomes a place where cultivation is possible.
Fortune and wisdom
Sufficiency in worldly affairs, and the clear discernment that turns it toward the dharma.
Thirty-six guardians
The Sutra of Consecration teaches that thirty-six good spirits are appointed to guard one who takes refuge in the Triple Jewels.
Protection of the devas
As practice deepens, the protection extends further — the heavens and the dharma protectors keep watch over the practitioner.
The path to liberation
Beyond every blessing, refuge sets the direction: awakening in this life and buddhahood at its end.
The simple refuge rite
For refuge at a distance, perform this brief ceremony:
- Choose the day. At 7:00 a.m. local time on the first or fifteenth day of any lunar month.
- Face the rising sun. With palms joined, recite the Fourfold Refuge mantra three times: “Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ya, Namo Dharma ya, Namo Sangha ya. Seeking the guidance of Living Buddha Lian Sheng, I am taking refuge in the True Buddha.”
- Prostrate three times. The rite itself is complete — then register by one of the methods below, and His Holiness will perform the remote empowerment.
Three ways to register
Through the official form
Perform the rite above, then complete the refuge form on the True Buddha School administrative site. His Holiness performs the remote empowerment, and a refuge certificate with guidance for beginning practice follows by mail.
Open the refuge form →Write to the Foundation
After performing the rite, send your name, address and age — together with any offering you wish to make, entirely voluntary — to:
True Buddha Foundation17102 NE 40th Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052, USA
At a True Buddha temple
Attend the Saturday evening group practice at Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond, Washington — the school's mother temple — or visit any True Buddha temple or chapter worldwide, where an authorised acharya can confer the refuge empowerment in person.
What follows 皈依之後
- The remote empowerment. Wherever you are in the world, His Holiness bestows the refuge empowerment — the moment the lineage connection is made.
- Your certificate and guidance. A refuge certificate arrives by mail, together with instructions for beginning daily practice.
- The Root Guru Practice. Begin with the Fourfold Refuge and the Root Guru Practice; from this foundation the higher yogas of the school open in turn, each with its own empowerment.
- A sangha to practise with. Local temples and chapters hold group practice and ceremonies, and teachings are streamed for those who live far from any temple.
Practices such as the Dragon King Treasure Vase Yoga require both refuge and the specific empowerment for that practice, which is requested from His Holiness or an authorised master after taking refuge.
皈依之後，依法修行，福慧雙修。
After taking refuge, practice according to the dharma — cultivating merit and wisdom together. May the Sea Dragon King and the Eight Classes guard your path.