Question: What thoughts do we have about losing the three refuges?After losing the Three Refuges, why can't we lose faith in the Three Jewels?
Gen-la replied: Although the Three Jewels can save us, if we don't have enough faith in the Three Jewels when we encounter bad karma, and instead of praying to the Three Jewels, we go to the Heavenly Demons, Outer Paths, and ghosts and gods for help, then the Three Refuge Levels will naturally be lost.
But now, when some people encounter obstacles, they don't have enough faith in the Three Jewels, so they ask the ghosts and spirits for help, and the vows of the Three Refuge will naturally disappear.
If someone is still not in good health after studying Buddhism, or if things are still not going well, they may have evil opinions and think that believing in Buddhism is uselessWhen this kind of evil thought arises, the mind of renunciation of the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha arises, and then the vows of the three refuges are naturally lost.
Or some people think that I have to learn the good Dharma of the world first and do a good job first, otherwise I will not be qualified to study Buddhism. In fact, with such thoughts, it is also easy to lose the three refuges.
This is because it is true that studying the good Dharma of the world and laying the foundation for the human heavenly vehicle is a very good aid to the study of Buddhism, but if you think that you must rely on the good Dharma of the world in order to do a good job in people, and the Dharma is too high to achieve this goal, it is very likely that in this thought, you will lose your faith in the Dharma, and therefore you will lose the three refuges.
So now, in the great environment of the five turbid and evil worlds, all kinds of turbidity and troubles are flourishing, and if you don't study the scriptures, it's really easy to lose the three refuges. And once you lose the three refuges, the five precepts, the eight precepts, and even all the practices, you can't talk about it.
Therefore, this passage admonishes us not to be arrogant, not to despise the Three Jewels, but to have absolute respect for them. When encountering obstacles, pray for the blessings of the Three Jewels and do not lose your vows because of your faith and discouragement.
You must know that human life is rare, the Dharma smells bad, and taking refuge is very important for our liberation in this life and even in the next. It would be a pity if you accidentally lost your body of refuge!