Buddham saranam gacchami (I go to the Buddha for refuge)
Dhammam saranam gacchami (I go to the Dhamma for refuge)
Sangham saranam gacchami (I go to the Sangha for refuge)
The Three Jewels
Despite the differences in the varieties of Buddhism, there are always the same three cornerstones which are called the Three Jewels. These are the Buddha, the Dharma which is the teaching of the Buddha, and the Sangha, which is the community who follow the teaching.When a person accepts the Buddhist philosophy and wants to make it part of their life, the traditional way is to say "I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha."
The Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha is based on the Four Noble Truths and this is symbolised by the wheel. Originally, the Sangha was the monastic community and this was later to include all those following the Buddhist path.
The first jewel is the Buddha. To take refuge in the Buddha is not to hide in the safety of a powerful being. Refuge in this situation is more like moving to a new perspective, to a new awareness of the possibility within us all. By taking refuge in the Buddha, we align ourselves with the ability to become a Buddha ourselves, to seek the capacity to be awakened to what the Buddha experienced. This precious jewel reminds us to find our own Buddha nature.
The word Buddha is a lovely word, it means 'the one who knows', and the first refuge is in Buddha as the personification of wisdom. Unpersonified wisdom remains too abstract for us, we can't conceive a bodiless, soulless wisdom, and so as wisdom always seems to have a personal quality to it, using Buddha as its symbol is very useful.We can use the word Buddha to refer to Gotama, the founder of what is now known as Buddhism, the historical sage who attained Parinibbana[*] in India 2500 years ago, the teacher of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, teachings from which we today still benefit. But when we take refuge in the Buddha it doesn't mean that we take refuge in some historical prophet but in that which is wise in the universe, in our minds, that which is not separate from us but is more real than anything we can conceive with the mind or experience through the senses. Without any Buddha-wisdom in the universe life for any length of time would be totally impossible, it is the Buddha-wisdom that protects. We call it Buddha-wisdom, other people can call it other things if they want, these are just words.We happen to use the words of our tradition. We're not going to argue about Pali words, Sanskrit words, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, English or any other, we're just using the term Buddha-wisdom as a conventional symbol to help remind us to be wise, to be alert, to be awake.
The Dharma is the path which follows the teaching of the Buddha, and which will ultimately lead to awakening. The Dharma teaches us compassion for ourselves and others through an understanding of The Four Noble Truths and leads to a release from fear and ignorance. The path involves embracing the teaching of the Buddha and applying that understanding to everyday life. The Dharma is called the second jewel.
The second refuge is in the Dhamma, in ultimate truth or ultimate reality. Dhamma is impersonal, we don't in any way try to personify it to make it any kind of personal deity. When we chant in Pali the verse on Dhamma we say it is 'sanditthiko akaliko ehipassiko opanayiko paccattam veditabbo viññuhi'. As Dhamma has no personal attributes we can't even say it is good or bad or anything that has any superlative or comparative quality, it is beyond the dualistic conceptions of mind. So when we describe Dhamma or give an impression of it we do it through words such as 'sanditthiko' which means immanent, here-and-now. That brings us back into the present, we feel a sense of immediacy, of now. You may think that Dhamma is some kind of thing that is out there, something you have to find elsewhere, but sanditthiko dhamma means that it is immanent, here and now.
Akalikodhamma means that Dhamma is not bound by any time condition, the word akalameans timeless. Our conceptual mind can't conceive of anything that is timeless because our conceptions and perceptions are time-based conditions, but what we can say is that Dhamma is akala, not bound by time.
Ehipassikodhamma means to come and see, to turn towards or go to the Dhamma. It means to look, to be aware. It is not that we pray to the Dhamma to come, or wait for it to tap us on the shoulder, we have to put forth effort. It is like Christ's saying 'knock on the door and it shall be opened'. Ehipassiko means that we have to put forward that effort, to turn towards that truth.
Opanayiko means leading inwards towards the peace within the mind. Dhamma doesn't take us into fascination, into excitement, romance and adventure, but leads to Nibbana, to calm, to silence.
Paccattam veditabbo viññuhi means that we can only know Dhamma through direct experience. It is like the taste of honey, if someone else tastes it we still don't know its flavour. We may know the chemical formula or be able to recite all the great poetry ever written about honey but only when we taste it for ourselves do we really know what it is like. It is the same with Dhamma, we have to taste it, we have to know it directly.
Taking refuge in Dhamma is taking another safe refuge. It is not taking refuge in philosophy or intellectual concepts, in theories, in ideas, in doctrines or beliefs of any sort. It is not taking refuge in a belief in Dhamma, or a belief in God or in some kind of force in outer space or something beyond or something separate, something that we have to find sometime later. The descriptions of the Dhamma keep us in the present, in the here and now, unbound by time. Taking refuge is an immediate, immanent reflection in the mind, it is not just repeating 'Dhammam saranam gacchami' like a parrot, thinking 'Buddhists say this so I have to say it'. We turn towards the Dhamma, we are aware now, take refuge in Dhamma, now as an immediate action, an immediate reflection of being the Dhamma, being that very truth.
Dhamma
BASIC PRINCIPLES
Phenomena are
preceded by the heart,
ruled by the heart,
made of the heart.
If you speak or act with a corrupted heart, then suffering follows you — as the wheel of the cart, the track of the ox that pulls it.
Phenomena are
preceded by the heart,
ruled by the heart,
made of the heart.
If you speak or act with a calm, bright heart, happiness follows you, like a shadow that never leaves. — Dhp 1-2
Heedfulness: the path to the Deathless;
Heedlessness: the path to death.
The heedful do not die;
The heedless are as if already dead.
Knowing this as a true distinction,
those wise in heedfulness rejoice in heedfulness,
enjoying the range of the noble ones. — Dhp 21-22
The Sangha comprises those who come together in any size group to study, discuss, practice meditation with a desire to help and be helped by that group. The Buddha saw that the interaction with others who are on the path as being essential for practice. He saw this as being important for ordained monks as well as those of the general community. The Sangha is the third precious jewel.
The Third refuge is Sangha, which means a group. 'Sangha' may be the bhikkhu-Sanghaor the ariya-Sangha, the group of the Noble Beings, those who live virtuously, doing good and refraining from evil with bodily action and speech. Here taking refuge in the Sangha with 'Sangham saranam gacchami' means we take refuge in virtue, in that which is good, virtuous, kind, compassionate and generous. We don't take refuge in those things in our minds that are mean, nasty, cruel, selfish, jealous, hateful, angry, even though admittedly that is what we often tend to do out of heedlessness, out of not reflecting, not being awake, but just reacting to conditions. Taking refuge in the Sangha means on the conventional level doing good and refraining from evil with bodily action and speech.
All of us have both good thoughts and intentions and bad ones. Sankharas (conditioned phenomena) are that way, some are good and some aren't, some are indifferent, some are wonderful and some are nasty. Conditions in the world are changing conditions, we can't just think the best, the most refined thoughts and feel only the best and the kindest feelings: both good and bad thoughts and feelings come and go, but we take refuge in virtue rather than in hatred. We take refuge in that in all of us that intends to do good, which is compassionate and kind and loving towards ourselves and others. So the refuge of Sangha is a very practical refuge for day-to-day living within the human form, within this body, in relation to the bodies of other beings and the physical world that we live in. When we take this refuge we do not act in any way that causes division, disharmony, cruelty, meanness or unkindness to any living being including ourself, our own body and mind. This is being 'supatipanno', one who practises well.
In the original teaching and in current Theravada communities the Sangha refers only to the monks, nuns and other ordained teachers.
The concept of Sangha is more broadly interpreted in many Mahayana and Western groups to include all those who embrace the Dharma as a community.
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