The Real Refuge Practice Is Cherishing Sentient Beings - Teaching #125

Rinpoche offered this teaching to students from China and Malaysia via Zoom on June 12, 2022 from Kopan Monastery, Nepal.By taking refuge in the Dharma, we should stop harming sentient beings, Rinpoche reminds us. And more than that, we should benefit them. In fact, the real refuge practice is cherishing sentient beings. If we take care of them the most, if we cherish them the most, that is the best offering to all the Buddhas, Dharma, and Sangha. To show respect for everyone is the best practice.Sentient beings are so precious because the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha came from them. Even those who we call enemy, who get angry with us, who harm us with their body, speech, and mind. These people are unbelievably precious because Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha come from them as well. The more we realize the kindness of sentient beings, the more we will dedicate our life to them.Throughout this teaching, Rinpoche also continues to discuss what to abandon and what to practice after having taken refuge in the Sangha.