Self is One’s Refuge

Mark Wong

Attā hi attano nātho
Ko hi nātho parosiyā
Attanā’va sudantena
Nāthaṃ labhati dullabhaṃ

One’s self is one’s protector;
What other protector can there be ?
With oneself fully controlled ,
one obtains a protection which is hard to gain

Dpd.160

Purport:

Even though Gotama Buddha admonishes us to take refuge in Buddha , Dhamma and Saṅgha at the early stage of one’s self-cultivation, the Exalted One in his final discourse of great Nibbāna (Mahāparinibbāna-sutta DN16) exhorts that one eventually ought to take refuge or protection in one’s self. He metaphorically compares one’s self to be one’s own island. One has to take refuge in one’s own island by which one protects oneself from the storms of life. The most ideal protector is one’s own morality, concentration and wisdom. There is no one who can save oneself except by oneself. Personal protection is the most ideal refuge. Self-control is the protection or refuge. One’s own wisdom and virtue are the highest blessing or protection. The inner Heart of pure and infinite consciousness is our centre of refuge. In the inner Heart are found human supreme morality, concentration and wisdom from which our blessing or protection originates. Blessing is internally or esoterically  generated. Sentient beings are perverse as they ignorantly seek external refuges or blessings. 

Gotama Buddha promulgates three-fold refuge or protection, namely one can be morally restrained by morality, concentration and wisdom. Firstly, One can protect oneself by moral restraints. Moral restraint can be effected by adhering to the Five Precepts (Pañcasīlas) and the Ten Good Precepts (Dasasīlas). This purification of morality protects oneself from committing evils.  

Secondly, one can protect oneself by executing the four foundations of mindfulness (cattāri satipațțhāna)  and clear awareness without grasping upon the five aggregates as this is I; this is mine; this belongs to me. Right Mindfulness accompanied with clear awareness is the Anattā strategy to annihilate self-centric ego or grasping upon the five aggregates through the power of equanimity. Equanimity is neither attachment nor aversion. The power of equanimity  purifies the mental concentration. The purification of concentration appeases the mind. Mental appeasement generates effective moral restraints from committing evils and also sustains one’s power to do good. Avoiding evils and doing good is the greatest blessing and the greatest protection. Such well earned  blessings protect oneself from moral decay or downfall and encourages one to be  friendly and benevolent towards others .

Thirdly, one is considered fully controlled or mentally appeased  if and only if one has actualized Nibbāna. Nibbāna is the complete appeasement of the human mind. It can only be realized from insightful wisdom (pañْñā). Insightful wisdom is arisen from intuitive discernment of the Insubstantiality of the five aggregates. The complete appeasement of the mind is the result from the appeasement of false conceptualizations  leading to the appeasement of obsessions (papañca). The appeasement of obsessions is Nibbāna. Nibbāna is mental emancipation (vimutti). One is said to be spiritually emancipated  when one is fully self-controlled.  One is said to be morally self-controlled or self-disciplined when one is liberated from malevolence  and  is generously inclined towards benevolence  because his or her mind has been purified and appeased. A purified mind is the most ideal refuge against all adversities of life.