Refuge

I want to share with you one of the most inspirational and also one of the most controversial statements of the Buddha. The Buddha said, “Oneself is one’s own refuge.”

How can another person become your refuge? With enough self-discipline, with thorough self-discipline, one can attain one’s own refuge.

In life, sometimes we wait for other people to come and change our life, to come and save our life. But the Buddha said this is sad news, yet it is the truth: no one is coming to save you except yourself. No one can save you but yourself. And this is what the Buddha teaches. Try to save yourself by yourself.

The Buddha even said, “I cannot save you. I am not your savior.” He said, “I can show you the path. I am a teacher. I am a guide. But I cannot take you to your happiness. I cannot carry you to your happiness.” What the Buddha did was show the path. But by yourself, through yourself, you have to walk that path alone.

That is why, in Buddhism, it is all about exploring who you are, through yourself and by yourself. And that is why we must remember that we are alone in this world. There is no one who can save us. There are people who can help us. There are people who can guide us, but there is a limit.

For example, if you are going through a tough time in life, such as anxiety or depression, people can help you. They can tell you what to do and what not to do, and they can guide you. But ultimately, by yourself, you have to deal with that problem. You have to go through that situation, and you have to heal yourself.

That is why I believe, and Buddhism teaches, that there is nothing in this life that can destroy you other than your own thoughts. And there is nothing in this world that can save you or heal you other than your thoughts and how you train your mind.