A teaching in Porto on the Three Trainings in Buddhism. In the beginning of part 2 there is a short teaching on Refuge and the actual Refuge ceremony.
Buddhism is a training to transform yourself and to bring benefit to yourself and others. Enlightenment is the long term goal, but anything that brings any amount of goodness and help for oneself and others in long or short term is also its objective.
We start where we are. First we try to understand where we are now, and then try to improve on that. We do this step by step, easily and relaxedly.
All schools of Buddhism have these Three Traininings:
Part 1: Introduction. Wisdom/Understanding.
Part 2: A teaching on Refuge and the actual ceremony. Q & A. Wisdom/understanding the negative emotions.
Part 3: Conduct/discipline. How we act with our body, speech and mind. Q & A.
Part 4: Meditation. Shamatha and vipashyana.
“Sleeping is good – but it is not meditation. Meditation is learning how to be as relaxed as when we are sleeping, even when we are not sleeping!”