The Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche described [taking refuge] as “committing ourselves to freedom.”

(The three dharma wheels in this sculpture represent the three refuges: Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha)

Taking refuge is not seeking shelter in the ordinary sense; there’s no escaping the tribulations of human life. Rather, it’s a way of viewing our lives and choices. As long as we seek meaning and satisfaction in sensory pleasures and mental imaginings, we will suffer. Instead, we can commit to seeking the freedom that the Budhha and many of his disciples discovered; specifically, we can try the path of releasing our clinging and grasping ways, letting go of our incessant wanting and not-wanting. This is the path the Buddha described and recommended, and it is available to everyone.

When taking refuge in the Dhamma, we are specifically looking to the teachings of the Buddha as the context for our understanding…