There is a Buddhist ceremony called Taking Refuge. When we take refuge, we commit ourselves to the Buddhist path. This is not only a simple but also an extremely economical approach. Henceforth we will be on the particular path that was strategized, designed, and well thought-out more than twenty-five hundred years ago by the Buddhist and the followers of his teaching. There is already a pattern and a tradition; there is already a discipline. We no longer have to run after that person or this person for spiritual advice. We no longer have to compare our life-style with anybody else’s. Once we take this step, we have no alternatives; there is no longer the entertainment of indulging in so-called freedom. We take a definite vow to enter a discipline of choicelessness–which saves us a lot of money, a lot of energy, and lots and lots of superfluous thinking.

From The Heart of the Buddha, page 86. Published by Shambhala Publications