Since the time of the Buddha, people have expressed their commitment to follow the Buddha’s teachings and the Buddhist path of practice by taking refuge in the Three Jewels and by receiving transmission of the five Buddhist precepts or trainings.

Our teacher, Fred, was formally authorized by Thich Nhat Hanh to transmit the refuges and trainings. He will be conducting a Transmission Ceremony in Tampa on Sunday morning, February 4 for any FCM members, including teenagers 13 years and older, who wish to formally Take Refuge and receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings.  For those seeking this transmission, a required preparatory class will be offered at two different times: Sunday January 21, 12:30 pm-2:00 pm and on Monday January 22, 6:30pm  – 8:00pm at the Tampa Practice Center. The classes will be Livestreamed so that FCM members in other locations can participate. You are now on the registration page for the Monday class.

Taking Refuge means to take refuge in the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. By taking refuge we express our trust in our own capacity to awaken, in the path of practice and mindful living, and in the sangha community to provide a refuge of safety, guidance, and support.

In the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition, this is expressed as:

I take refuge in the Buddha, the one who shows me the way in this life.

I take refuge in the Dharma, the path of understanding and love.

I take refuge in the Sangha, the community that lives in harmony and awareness.

Further information on Taking Refuge can be found on the FCM website (click here).

Thich Nhat Hanh has formulated the traditional five Buddhist precepts as The Five Mindfulness Trainings. They provide the basis for living in ways that create happiness and relieve suffering for ourselves and for others. They are not authoritative rules imposed from the outside to be blindly adhered to, but rather guidelines for reflecting on our own aspirations, and on our behavior and its consequences in order to live a more consciously aware life. The Five Mindfulness Trainings can be found on the FCM website under Mindfulness Trainings.

The preparatory class will provide further explanation of the Three Refuges and the Five Mindfulness Trainings, explore ways they can be manifested in our daily lives and offer opportunities for questions and answers. Registering and attending the class does not obligate you to Take Refuge or Transmission.  You are welcome to attend if you are just interested in learning more about these two practices and traditions that are integral to the Buddhist path.

Please note that you must register and attend one of the two classes, in person or by Livestream, in order to participate in the Transmission Ceremony on February 4. A recording of the class will not be available for later viewing. The ceremony on February 4 in Tampa will be the only time/location the Transmission Ceremony will be offered.