The Three Jewels / The Three Treasures / Triratna (Sanskrit)
One of the oldest ways of expressing faith in Buddhism is by taking refuge in the three jewels which are the Buddha (the exemplar), the dhamma (the teachings), and the sangha (the community of practitioners).
Buddha
- Refers to both, the historical figure, Buddha, and to the “Buddha nature” or potential for Buddhahood which is innate in each of us
- One who is awake, the one who knows
- Not something outside yourself, it’s an innate ability to engage fully in each moment
- this ability keeps you safe by letting you see clearly the results of your actions
- Taking refuge in the buddha, is taking refuge in that awake part of you, making an effort to bring mindfulness into each moment
Dhamma
- The teachings of Buddha
- The truth of the way things are
- It is what you see when you are awake, when you are mindful
- Taking refuge in the dhamma is living inside your own insight into the truth
Sangha
- The Buddhist community
- when “the one who knows” sees “the way things are”, what comes forth from that is unselfishness and kind-hearted activity
- refuge in the sangha is the capacity to harmonize with other beings and situations, embracing kinship with all living things
The Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha are gems because they are precious resources in this world. The teachings on refuge emphasize that the comforting things of this world, even great natural places, cannot be reliable refuges because they’re impermanent.