| Translations of the Three Jewels |
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| Pali : | tiratana, tisarana |
| Sanskrit : | त्रिरत्न (triratna), रत्नत्रय (ratna-traya) |
| Thai : | ไตรรัตน์ (trairat), รัตนตรัย (rattanatrai) |
| Sinhalese : | තෙරුවන් (teruwan) |
| Chinese : | 三宝, 三寶 (sānbǎo) |
| Vietnamese: | Tam bảo |
| Japanese : | 三宝 (sambō, sampō) |
| Mongolian : | ɣurban erdeni |
| Tibetan : | དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ, (dkon mchog gsum) |
| English : | Three Jewels, Three Refuges, Three Treasures, Triple Gem |
The Three Jewels, also called the Three Treasures, the Three Refuges, or the Triple Gem, are the three things that Buddhists take refuge in, and look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices In lay and monastic ordination ceremonies Buddhists take the Three Refuges in the Three Jewels and are said to "take refuge
The Three Jewels are:
- Buddha (The Enlightened or Awakened One; Chn: 佛陀, Fódà, Jpn: Butsu, Tib: sangs-rgyas, Mong: burqan), who, depending on one's interpretation, can mean the Historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, or the Buddha nature or ideal within all beings;
- Dharma (The Teaching; Chn: 法, Fǎ, Jpn: Hō, Tib: chos, Mong: nom), which is the Teachings of the Buddha. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment
- Sangha (The Community; Chn: 僧, Sēng, Jpn: Sō, Tib: dge-'dun, Mong: quvaraɣ), The Community of those great people who have attained Enlightenment. This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation. so that those people(Sangha) will help you to attain Enlightenment. [1]
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Refuge formula
The Three Jewels, also rendered as Three Treasures, Three Refuges or Triple Gem are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to, and in return look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices In lay and monastic ordination ceremonies Buddhists take the Three Refuges in the Three Jewels and are said to "take refuge
Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is central to Buddhist lay and monastic ordination ceremonies, as originated by Gautama Buddha, according to the scriptures. In lay and monastic ordination ceremonies Buddhists take the Three Refuges in the Three Jewels and are said to "take refuge Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder The practice of taking refuge on behalf of young or even unborn children is mentioned[2] in the Majjhima Nikaya, recognized by most scholars as an early text (cf Infant baptism). The Majjhima Nikaya (-nikāya "Collection of Middle-length Discourses" is a Buddhist scripture the second of the five Nikayas or collections in the Infant baptism is the Christian religious practice of baptizing infants or young children
Taking refuge in the Triple Gem is generally considered to make one officially a Buddhist. Thus, in many Theravada Buddhist communities, the following Pali chant, the Vandana Ti-sarana is often recited by both monks and lay people:
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Part of a series on
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Four Noble Truths |
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Three marks of existence |
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Gautama Buddha |
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Practices and Attainment |
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Buddhahood · Bodhisattva |
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Bhutan · Cambodia · China |
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Comparative Studies |
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The Mahayana Chinese/Japanese version differs only slightly from the Theravada:
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The prayer for taking refuge in Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including
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Importance
The Triple Gem is in the centre of one of the major practices of mental "reflection" in Buddhism; the reflection on the true qualities of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation. These qualities are called the Mirror of the Dharma in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta and help the practitioner attain the true "mind like a mirror". For the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra see Nirvana Sutra. ---- The Mahaparinibbana Sutta is a Buddhist Sutra in the Digha Nikaya
In the Apannaka Jataka Buddha declares:
- "Disciples, nowhere between the lowest of hells below and the highest heaven above, nowhere in all the infinite worlds that stretch right and left, is there the equal, much less the superior, of a Buddha. Incalculable is the excellence which springs from obeying the Precepts and from other virtuous conduct. "
- "By taking refuge in the Triple Gem, one escapes from rebirth in states of suffering. In forsaking such a refuge as this, you have certainly erred. In the past, too, men who foolishly mistook what was no refuge for a real refuge, met disaster. "
Explication
The qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are frequently repeated in the ancient texts and are called "Mirror of the Dhamma" or "Dhamma Adassa".
- The Buddha: "The Blessed One is an Arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One. In the sramanic traditions of ancient India (most notably those of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha) arhat ( Sanskrit) or arahant "[3]
In some traditions the Buddha as refuge is taken to refer to the historical Buddha and also 'the full development of mind', in other words, the full development of one's highest potential, i. e. recognition of mind and the completion or full development of one's inherent qualities and activities.
- The Dharma: "The Dhamma is well expounded by the Blessed One, directly visible, immediate (eternal or not subject to time), inviting one to come and see, applicable, to be personally experienced by the wise. "[3]
Refuge in the Dharma, in the Vajrayana, tradition includes reference not only to the words of the Buddha, but to the living experience of realization and teachings of fully realized practitioners. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and In Tibetan Buddhism, it includes both the Kangyur (the teaching of the Buddha) and the Tengyur (the commentaries by realized practioners) and in an intangible way also includes the living transmission of those masters, which can also be very inspiring. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, made up of the Kangyur or Kanjur The Tengyur or Tanjur ( Wylie: Bstan-'gyur ('Translation of Treatises' is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings or "Translated Treatises"
- The Sangha: "The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is practising the good way, practising the straight way, practising the true way, practising the proper way; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals - This Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world. "[3]
In the Vajrayana, a more liberal definition of Sangha can include all practitioners who are actively using the Buddha's teachings to benefit themselves and/or others. It can be more strictly defined as the 'Realized Sangha' or 'Arya-Sangha', in other words, practitioners and historical students of the Buddha who have fully realized the nature of their mind, also known as realized Boddhisatvas; and 'Ordinary Sangha', which can loosely mean practitioners and students of the Buddha who are using the same methods and working towards the same goal.
Three Jewels and The Three Roots
In Vajrayana traditions, a second formulation of refuge called the Three Roots is added to the three jewels. The Three Jewels, also called the Three Treasures, the Three Refuges, or the Triple Gem, are the three things that Buddhists take refuge They are
- the Guru, considered the "Root of Blessing"
- the Ishtadevata, which is the "Root of Methods"
- Dakini or Dharmapalas, considered the "Root of Protection"
These are seen as forms of the Body (Sangha), Speech (Dharma) and Mind (Buddha) of the Buddha. A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others In Vajrayana Buddhism an Ishta-deva or Ishta-devata ( Sanskrit) ( Yidam in Tibetan) is a fully enlightened being who is the focus A Dakini ( Sanskrit: ḍākinī Tibetan: khandro; Wylie: mkha'-'gro-ma; TP: Kandroma; Chinese language In Vajrayana Buddhism a dharmapāla ( Tibetan chos-kyong) is a type of Wrathful deity. Of these, the guru has the most prominent place in the Vajrayana, as without his personal assitance and guidance, a practitioner cannot achieve proper spiritual progress.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche discusses the Twilight Language equivalences and polyvalence of the Outer, Inner and Secret aspects of the Three Jewels:
The outer three jewels are the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Dilgo Khyentse ( Rinpoche (c1910- 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master scholar poet teacher and head of the Nyingma school of The Three jewels have an inner aspect, known as the Three Roots: the Guru (or Teacher), who is the root of blessings; the Yidam, who is the root of accomplishment; and the Dakini, who is the root of enlightened activity. Although the names are different, these three do not in any way differ from the Three Jewels. The Guru is the Budha [sic], the Yidam is the Dharma, and the Dakinis and Protectors are the Sangha. Sic is a Latin word meaning "thus" "so" "as such" or "just as that" And on the innermost level, the Dharmakaya is the Buddha, the Sambhogakaya is the Dharma, and the Nirmanakaya is the Sangha. [4]
History
The three gems are so called because of their treasured value to Buddhists as well as their indestructible and unchanging nature.
The Three Gems when used in the process of taking refuge, become the Three Refuges. In lay and monastic ordination ceremonies Buddhists take the Three Refuges in the Three Jewels and are said to "take refuge In this form, the metaphors occur very frequently in the ancient Buddhist Texts, and here the Sangha is used more broadly to refer to either the Sangha of Bhikkhus, or the Sangha of Bhikkhunis. A Bhikkhu ( Pāli) or Bhiksu ( Sanskrit) is a fully ordained male Buddhist Monastic. A Bhikkhuni ( Bhikṣuṇī ( Sanskrit), Bhikkhuṇī ( Pāli) or 比丘尼 ( Chinese characters, ภิกษุณี
Diamond Mind
Buddha's mind in his earth body or sambhogakaya is frequently associated with the greatest gem of all, the diamond, the hardest natural substance. The Sambhogakāya ( Sanskrit: "body of enjoyment" Tib longs In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in In the Anguttara Nikaya(3:25), Buddha talks about the diamond mind which can cut through all delusion. The Anguttara Nikaya (aṅguttaranikāya "Gradual Collection" or "Numerical Discourses" is a Buddhist scripture the fourth of the five Nikayas or In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in
Ratana-sutta
The expression Three Gems are found in the earliest Buddhist literature of the Pali Canon, besides other works there is one sutta in the Sutta-nipata, called the Ratana-sutta[6] which contains a series of verses on the Jewels in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation.
In the Ratana-sutta, all the qualities of the Sangha mentioned are attributes of the Buddha's enlightened disciples:
- One who is irascible and very irritable, displaying anger, hatred and sulkiness; such a one is said to be a person with a mind like an open sore.
- One who understands the Four Noble Truths correctly is said to have a mind like a flash of lightning. Background Why the Buddha is said to have taught in this way is illuminated by the social context of the time in which he lived
- One who has destroyed the mind-intoxicating defilements and realized the liberation of mind and the liberation by knowledge is said to have a mind like a diamond
In Jainism and Taoism
In Buddhism, the Triple Gem isn't a metaphor and is actually the initiation into the Dhamma that every Buddhist must take. However, it is used metaphorically in Jainism and Taoism. Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma / Shraman Dharma (जैन धर्म is an ancient religion of India. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions When Buddhism was introduced into China, ratnatraya was translated as sanbao (Chinese: 三寶; pinyin: sānbǎo; Wade-Giles: san-pao; literally "three jewels/treasures"), a word that first occurs in the Tao Te Ching. The Three Treasures or Three Jewels ( are basic virtues in Taoism. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Wade-Giles (ˌweɪdˈʤaɪlz) sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system (phonetic notation and Transcription) for the Mandarin The Tao Te Ching or Dao De Jing ( originally known as Laozi or Lao tzu ( is a Chinese classic
In his analysis of the Tao Te Ching, Victor H. Mair notes[7] that the jewel metaphor was already widely used in Indian religious metaphor before the Tao Te Ching was written. Victor H Mair (born 1943 is Professor of Chinese Language and Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the In Jainism too,
For the Jains, the Three Jewels are a metaphor for describing conduct and knowledge:
- samyag-darśana (correct perception or insight)
- samyag-jñāna (correct knowledge)
- samyag-cāritra (correct conduct).
In art
The Three Jewels are also symbolized by the triratna, composed of (from bottom to top):
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- A lotus flower within a circle. Nelumbo nucifera is known by a number of common names including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily
- A diamond rod, or vajra. Vajra ( Devanagari: वज्र Tibetan: dorje ( is a Sanskrit word meaning both Thunderbolt and Diamond
- A Gankyil. The Gankyil is a Polyvalent symbol and ritual tool in Tibetan Buddhism.
- A trident, or trisula, with three branches, representing the threefold jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. A trident (ˈtrаɪdənt also called a leister or gig, is a three- pronged Spear. Trisula redirects here For the Genus of noctuid Moths see Trisula (moth. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation.
On representations of the footprint of the Buddha, the Triratna is usually also surmounted by the Dharma wheel. The footprint of the Buddha ( Buddhapada in Sanskrit) is an imprint of Gautama Buddha 's one or both feet The Dharmachakra ( Sanskrit) or Dhammachakka ( Pāli) Tibetan chos kyi 'khor lo, Chinese fălún 法輪
The Triratna can be found on frieze sculptures at Sanchi as the symbol crowning a flag standard (2nd century BCE), as a symbol of the Buddha installed on the Buddha's throne (2nd century BCE), as the crowning decorative symbol on the later gates at the stupa in Sanchi (2nd century CE), or, very often on the Buddha footprint (starting from the 1st century CE). In Architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an Entablature and may be plain or &ndash in the Ionic or Corinthian order &ndash Sanchi is a small Village in Raisen District of India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist Sanchi is a small Village in Raisen District of India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and The footprint of the Buddha ( Buddhapada in Sanskrit) is an imprint of Gautama Buddha 's one or both feet
The Triratna is also on the 1st century BCE coins of the Kingdom of Kuninda in northern Punjab, surmounting depictions of stupas, on some the coins of the Indo-Parthian king Abdagases, or the coins of some of the Kushan kings such as Vima Kadphises. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. The Kingdom of Kuninda (or Kulinda in ancient literature was an ancient central Himalayan kingdom from around the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century Punjab ( ਪੰਜਾਬ پنجاب, पंजाब پنجاب also Panjab (پنجاب meaning "Land of the Five Rivers") (c A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist The Indo-Parthian Kingdom was established during the 1st century by Gondophares, and at its greatest extent extended into areas that are in present-day Afghanistan Abdagases I was an Indo-Parthian king a nephew of Gondophares evident from his coin &mdash a copper Tetradrachm. The Kushan Empire (c 1st &ndash 3rd centuries) was a Bactrian state that at its cultural zenith Circa 105 &ndash 250 Vima Kadphises (Kushan language Οοημο Καδφισης, Ancient Chinese阎膏珍 was a Kushan emperor from around 90-100 CE
The triratna can be further reinforced by being surmounted with three dharma wheels (one for each of the three jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha). Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation.
The triratna symbol is also called nandipada, or "bull's hoof", by Hindus. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical
See also
References
- ^ Hanh, Thich Nhat (1991). The Basic Points Unifying the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna is an important Buddhist Ecumenical statement created in 1967 during the First Congress of Jukai (受戒 shou jie in Chinese 수계 (sugae in Korean is a public ordination ceremony wherein a lay student of Zen Buddhism receives Nhat Hanh ( Vietnamese: Nhất Hạnh; tʰǐk ɲɜ̌t hɐ̂ʔɲ (born October 11 1926 in central Vietnam) is an expatriate Old Path White Clouds: walking in the footsteps of the Buddha. Parallax Press, 157-161. ISBN 0-938077-26-0.
- ^ Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha, tr Nanamoli, rev Bodhi, Wisdom Pubns, 1995, pages 708f
- ^ a b c Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000). "The Collected Discourses of the Buddha: A new translation of the Samyutta Nikaya". Somerville: Wisdom Publications, Sakkasamyutta, Dhajjaggasutta (3), p. 319-321.
- ^ Ray, Reginald A. (Ed. )(2004). In the Presence of Masters: Wisdom from 30 Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist Teachers. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Shambala. ISBN 1-57062-849-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) p. 60.
- ^ Bhikkhu Nanamoli (1995). in Bhikkhu Bodhi: The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta 4, paragraph 35, p. 107; Sutta 7, paragraph 21, p. 121; Sutta 27, paragraph 27, p. 227; Sutta 30, paragraph 24, p. 297; etc. .
- ^ (1990) in Anderson, Dines, & Smith, Helmer: Sutta Nipata (pali). oxford: Pali Text Society, 39-42.
- ^ Victor H. Mair (1990). Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way, by Lao Tzu; an entirely new translation based on the recently discovered Ma-wang-tui manuscripts. New York: Bantam Books, p. 110.
"ガンダーラ美術の見方" (The art of Gandhara), Yamada Kihito, ISBN 4-89806-106-0
External links
- Triratna on the footprints of the Buddha
- Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (log in with userID "guest")
- Buddhapada and Triratna
- Another triratna on Buddha's footprint.
- Why the Tathagata abolished the three refuges.
- Chanting of Pali text by Ven. Indaratana Maha Thera
- Online chanting service of famous Pali texts
Footnotes
- ^ Refuge : An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. Thanissaro Bhikkhu : Third edition, revised, 2001
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