9 – Shakyamuni Buddha’s Enlightenment: What Did He Realize? The Meaning of “Refuge” [3:45] Each of these is a precious and necessary element of the Buddhist path, and so they are called the three jewels. When a practitioner leaves her Sangha, she may abandon her practice and ‘die’ as a practitioner. If your “spiritual awakening” doesn’t manifest as greater compassion, generosity, patience, etc. The three sticks of incense represent the Three Treasures – Treasure of the Buddha (Nichiren Daishonin), Treasure of the Law (Dai-Gohonzon), and the Treasure of the Priesthood (Nikko Shonin and the successive High Priests). The Three Treasures of Buddhism are the Buddha (an enlightened person), the Dharma (the body of truth a Buddha becomes enlightened to), and the Sangha (the community that tries to live its life based on the Buddha's teaching). Here’s a passage from the Dhammapada, one of the most ancient collections of teachings attributed toShakyamuni Buddha. Throughout the Pali Canon, a source of the oldest extant Buddhist teachings first written down over 2,000 years ago, students of Shakyamuni Buddha proclaim their intention to follow his teachings by saying out loud that they take refuge in the Three Treasures. In Buddhism in general, the three treasures are defined as the Buddha, the Dharma (the Law or teachings the Buddha expounds), and the Sangha (the Buddhist Order or community believers, i.e., those who spread the Buddha’s teachings). The “ideal” use of the term referred to any of the Buddha’s students, lay or ordained, who had attained a certain level of awakening. They were stating that they were intending to follow a particular person – Shakyamuni Buddha, who discovered a path to awakening, liberation, and peace of mind. In the spirit of Universal Brotherhood and as a member of the Sangha, I pledge myself to strive for the enlightenment of all beings. We have to be willing to look carefully, and question ourselves – so in a way this isn’t about taking refuge in a bunch of teachings outside yourself, it’s a vow search for the truth within your own experience. And yet… we still need refuge, according to Buddhism. There are a lot of temptations, distractions, practical worries, and, generally speaking, not a lot of understanding or peer support for your efforts. For general questions about our hours or services, call (773) 334-4661. Three Treasures: The three essential aspects of Buddhism, or Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We instinctively, intuitively know the different between suffering and happiness, just like a seed knows the difference between up and down when it sprouts. Why We Need Refuge [11:00] You can also send an inquiry via our Facebook page. Now we hear them. When we take refuge in “Buddha” we’re really taking refuge in – relying on – this potentiality within ourselves. The ideals at the heart of Buddhism are collectively known as the ‘Three Jewels’, or the ‘Three Treasures’. Many Buddhists find it very inspiring to think that someone, at least one person, was completely and totally enlightened. The goal of wisdom is ever beyond. You’re going to have to be willing to face your delusions and give things up, and to try new ways of being and perceiving. The Buddha depicted here is called Amida Buddha (also Amitabha), and is regarded as an idealized depiction of Buddhahood to which all beings can aspire. Life as a human being is hard to sustain—as hard as it is for the dew to remain on the grass. How we choose to live our lives, the form we choose, is the expression of the refuge, not the refuge itself. But – this isn’t just about your external circumstances. *The Three Kinds of Treasure President Ikeda's Guidance The following story appears in the Buddhist scriptures: 'There were once seven practitioners of Buddhism who had come from a distant land to receive instruction from Shakyamuni Buddha. Although the Tao Te Ching originally used sanbao to mean "compassion", "frugality", and "humility", the term was later used to translate the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) in Chinese Buddhism, and to mean the Three Treasures (jing, qi, and shen) in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Three Jewels, also called the Three Treasures, Three refuges, Precious Triad, or most commonly the Triple Gem (त्रिरत्न ) (Pali: Tiratana), are the three things that Buddhists take Refuge in, and look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. 1. For over 2,500 years, in every form of Buddhism, you formally become a Buddhist by stating, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha.” Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are therefore known collectively as the Three Refuges, Three Treasures, Three Jewels, or the Triple Gem. To be a Buddhist means taking refuge in the Three Treasures. I shall attain it. to park and tree shrines: However, a similar concept can be expressed by the formula "take refuge in the Three Jewels." to mountains and forests, Also the Dictionary Definition for Three Treasures I am most grieved over your lord’s illness. Shakyamuni) Buddha for coming to terms with life, and also the teachings each being receives from living his/her own life. The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. that’s the secure refuge, Refuge is about faith that Buddhahood – or at least some significant level of awakening – is possible. To work on this aspiration is going to take time, diligence, and effort. Throughout the Buddhist world, Buddhists have these Three Treasures in common. The Sangha is the people with whom we share spiritual aspirations, and with whom we work to understand and manifest the teachings and practices of Buddhism. People serve as support, teachers, friends, and mirrors (helping us see our own behaviors and tendencies). We are right around the corner from the Wilson red line station and Broadway bus line. (These are verses 188-192): “They go to many a refuge, (See also Buddhist Symbols. having gone to which, Over the centuries, Dharma came to refer to all kinds of Buddhist teachings, judged on whether they relieve suffering and bring welfare and happiness, as the Buddha said to the Kalamas, and to some extent also whether they were consistent with certain foundational Buddhist teachings like impermanence, no-self, and karma (more about these concepts in future episodes). What does it mean to be “enlightened” or “awakened?” These terms may sound rather grand or esoteric, but the Buddhist concept of enlightenment is very similar to the ideal of the saint or sage in many other spiritual traditions: In Buddhism, the idea is that these ideals are not just describing special people who by nature were especially wise or saintly. you see with right discernment you gain release An often-cited example of this aspect of Buddha’s teaching comes from the same scripture I cited earlier, the Kalama Sutta (forgive me as a read this passage – it’s little long because it was passed down through oral tradition, but it gives you a good sense of the flavor of the original Buddhist teachings… remember “the Blessed One” refers to Shakyamuni Buddha): As they sat there, the Kalamas of Kesaputta said to the Blessed One, “Lord, there are some brahmans & contemplatives who come to Kesaputta. If we depend spiritually upon the Buddha, his teachings and the community’ of believers, we can faithfully practice the Righteous Law in our daily lives. It’s not about surrendering our intelligence or personal responsibility. Leave a comment Cancel reply. It can also mean truth or reality. The Sangha, in the broadest terms, is the universal community of beings who consciously seek enlightenment, whether they define themselves as Buddhists or not. Such persons usually refers to the Buddhist monk or nun, however, do not disregard those persons who are not Buddhist monk or nun, because appearances could not represent the Buddhism. Japanese Kanji & Chinese characters for Three Treasures. Everyone has the potential to attain Buddhahood. Originally, in the Pali Canon, the term Sangha was used in two ways, according to Thanisaaro Bhikku (“Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha”, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Lifestyle is secondary. Ideally refuge goes beyond simply cultivating faith in it, although faith helps (and interacting with people we feel embody this ideal better than we do can help inspire faith). Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha at Different Levels of Meaning [26.02]. Refuge in the Buddha [13:08] Is refuge about faith that he lived? The number of those endowed with human life is as small as the amount of earth one can place on a fingernail. If we do not enlighten ourselves in the present life, no hope is there that we shall be freed from suffering and sorrow in the ocean of birth and death. “Buddha” means one who is awake. the cause of stress, Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. It is by making these the central principles of your life that you become a Buddhist. The Three Treasures in Buddhism mean the Buddha, the Buddha-law, and the persons who profoundly put the Buddhism into practice, learn Buddha well, and also have completely understood the Buddha-law. you gain release To return to the Three Treasures taken together: There’s a beautiful description of how the Three Treasures have many different levels of meaning in the version of the Soto Zen scripture the “Kyojukaimon” that is transmitted in my Zen lineage. Moving on to the refuge of Dharma: Note that there are different uses and meanings of the word “dharma” before/outside of/and within Buddhism, including “right way of living” (in Hinduism) and “phenomena” in Buddhism (generally spelled with a small “d”). The real dangers – the things that threaten your happiness no matter what your external circumstances – are greed, hate, and delusion (a.k.a. Then, may we like him attain the noblest and most peaceful state of Nirvana. Difficult is it to hear the Teachings. At the source: the highest truth is called the buddha treasure; immaculacy is called the dharma treasure; harmony is called the sangha treasure. See the Calendar and our Facebook page for last-minute changes to our usual schedule. Refuge Does Not Mean Blind Faith [6:28] If we turn toward wisdom wherever we find it, we may end up learning from a neighbor, or child, or from nature. Buddha’s community of monks and nuns was called the “Sangha.” Thus, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha were pretty specific when Shakyamuni Buddha was alive. The first is the true source of the three treasures; the second is their presence in the past, the foundation of our tradition; the third is their presence at the present time. not the supreme refuge, The Buddha encourages them to trust their own experience in deciding whether someone is a legitimate spiritual teacher, or whether a particular teaching is beneficial. When Sangha doesn’t work this way, then we get to learn from our efforts to heal and take care of Sangha, because a harmonious Sangha doesn’t stay that way without some care and attention. They respond:] “Magnificent, lord! The Buddha also emphasized that after his death, his followers should take refuge in his teachings, and that they no longer needed him. I shall become One with the Sangha. 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