http://www.vipassana.com/resources/bodhi/refuge_in_the_buddha.php
...the Buddhist tradition insists that when we go for refuge to
the Buddha, we place ourselves under the guidance of one who is
distinctly different from ourselves, one who has scaled heights
that we have barely begun to glimpse.
But when we rely upon the recluse Gotama as our refuge, we do
not apprehend him merely as a particular individual, a wise and
sensible sage. We apprehend him rather as a Buddha. It is his
Buddhahood -- his possession of the full range of excellent
qualities that come with perfect enlightenment -- that makes the
recluse Gotama a refuge. In any cosmic epoch, a Buddha is that
being who first breaks through the dark mass of ignorance
encompassing the world and rediscovers the lost path to Nibbana,
the cessation of suffering. He is the pioneer, the trailblazer, who
discovers the path and proclaims the path so that others, by
following his tracks, may extinguish their ignorance, arrive at
true wisdom, and break the fetters that tie them to the round of
repeated birth and death.
For the refuge in the Buddha
to be genuine, it must be accompanied by a commitment to the Buddha
as an incomparable teacher, as unexcelled and
unsurpassed. Strictly speaking, the
historical Buddha is not unique since there have been earlier Fully
Enlightened Ones who have arisen in past epochs and there will be
others who will arise in future epochs as well. But in any one
world system it is impossible for a second Buddha to arise while
the teaching of another Buddha is still extant, and thus in terms
of human history we are justified in regarding the Buddha as a
unique teacher, unequalled by any other spiritual teacher known to
humanity. It is this readiness to recognize the Buddha as "the
unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, the teacher of gods and
humans" that is the hallmark of an authentic act of taking refuge
in the Buddha.
..................
It is important to take refuge in the Buddha as an 'incomparable
teacher, unexcelled and unsurpassed' - simply because there are
countless teachers, most who do not teach you liberation but to a
path contrary to liberation.
That is why we must decide to follow the Buddha and not take
refuge in other teachers who teach contrary to liberation.
Means if we want to gain liberation, we must commit ourselves to
Buddha as our main unsurpassed teacher, and not say some Hindu,
Christian, or some other teachers.
It is well and good to talk about guidance. The Buddha is
dead. How is he to guide you? There are members of the
sangha who don't teach. They just want to practice to attain
enlightenment.
Back to what I said earlier, refuge taking is like seeking a
place of peace and security. That's why it is personal.
I am also aware of the chant, the exhortation. But don't get
confused. This refuge-taking is a 'religious' requirement,
not the requirement to attain nirvana.