Hair Raising Commitment?

During the Buddhist refuge ceremony, the rite of commitment to the path, I cut a small piece of hair from the crown of a participant. The hair is taken only directly from the crown, because it opens that chakra. This opens the path to liberation so the consciousness can leave through the crown chakra at the time of death. That is why it is important to take the hair clipping from the crown chakra. 

It is also vital that the hair clipping be taken with love; that is, one should ask for and receive refuge with the motivation of love. The hair that is taken from the crown should be taken with this mind of love, because it is love that will open the gate or the path to liberation. It reminds us of bodhicitta, the heart/mind of compassion.

The cutting of hair also harkens back to the time when Buddha made this gesture to sever worldly connections that could be obstacles to liberation. I would say today, for a non-renunciate taking refuge vows, this gesture is the intention to work on eliminating distractions in whatever form they might take. Maybe I should ask for the participant’s cell phone! 

After the ceremony I take all the hair clippings and burn them, watching the smoke dissipate in to the air. This is done with prayers that all distracting obscurations be liberated from the refuge taker as well as all beings. I often muse this is why burning hair smells so bad; it reminds us how stinky our distractions can become!