Refuge

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Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels (aka the "three refuges"). This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination Template:Wiki.


refuge (Skt: sharana; Tib: kyab)

The door to the Dharma path. Having taken refuge from the heart we become an inner being or Buddhist. There are three levels of refugeHinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana—and two or three causes necessary for taking refuge:

fearing the sufferings of samsara in general and lower realms in particular; faith that Buddha, Dharma and Sangha have the qualities and power to lead us to happiness, liberation and enlightenment; and (for Mahayana refuge) compassion for all sentient beings.

See also:

absolute refuge,
causal refuge,
conventional refuge,
resultant refuge.


The Three Jewels Template:Wiki signification is: 


In Vajrayana, practitioners (sadhakas) can visualize the Refuge tree, and to aid this interior viewing, the Refuge tree is typically depicted on scroll paintings (Thangka) or murals.

Template:Wiki[edit | edit source]

In Buddhism, instead of looking for any Template:Wiki saviour, most Buddhists believe one can take refuge in oneself. From the Dhammapada:

160. One truly is the protector of oneself, who else could the protector be? With oneself fully controlled one gains a Mastery which is hard to gain. 165. By oneself is Evil done, by oneself is one Template:Wiki. By oneself is Evil left undone, by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend on oneself--no one can Template:Wiki another.

The Mahaparinibbana Sutta states, "For that which I have proclaimed and made known as the Dhamma and the Discipline, that shall be your Master when I am gone."

Faith (saddha)[edit | edit source]

Template:See Saddha

Faith (saddha/sraddha) is an important Buddha's teaching element in both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions. The Sanskrit word sraddha is translated as Faith; the original word has Trust, perseverance, humility and steady effort connotations. In contrast to Template:Wiki notions of Faith, sraddha implies thorough Template:Wiki and accumulated experience.

In the Kalama Sutra The Buddha explicitly argues against simply following authority or tradition, particularly those of religions contemporary to The Buddha's time.. There Template:Wiki value for a Template:Wiki of trusting confidence and belief in Buddhism, primarily in the spiritual attainment and Template:Wiki or Enlightenment through The Buddha's Wisdom. Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Three Jewels.

Vows[edit | edit source]

A student who takes refuge may make vows to adhere to The Five Precepts (pañca-Sila). Laypeople undertake at least one of the five, but traditions differ in how many vows are common to take. The Five Precepts are not commandments, such as "thou shalt not ...", but are promises to oneself: "I will (try) ..."

  1. To refrain from harming living creatures (Template:Wiki).
  2. To refrain from taking that which is not given (stealing).
  3. To refrain from Template:Wiki Template:Wiki.
  4. To refrain from false speech.
  5. To refrain from Intoxicants which lead to loss of Mindfulness.
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Serious lay people or aspiring Monks may take an additional three to five ethical preceptsd strengthen some of The Five Precepts. For example, the precept pertaining to Template:Wiki Template:Wiki becomes a precept of Celibacy.

Wording[edit | edit source]

Sanskrit version:

    बुद्धं शरणं गच्छामि।
    धर्मं शरणं गच्छामि।
    संघं शरणं गच्छामि।

    Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

    I take refuge in The Buddha.
    I take refuge in the Dharma.
    I Take Refuge in the Sangha.

Pāli (Theravāda) version:

    Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

    To The Buddha for refuge I go
    To the Dharma for refuge I go
    To The Sangha for refuge I go

    Dutiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Dutiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Dutiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

    For the second time ...

Buddhist bells.jpg

    Tatiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Tatiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
    Tatiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

    For the third time...

Uyghur version:

    Namo but.
    Namo dram.
    Namo sang.

Template:Wiki (Mahāyāna) version:

    南無帰依佛 (to The Buddha for refuge I go)
    南無帰依法 (to the Dharma for refuge I go)
    南無帰依僧 (to The Sangha for refuge I go)

However, some substitute the above with mention of three refuge in Lotus Sutra which read,

    自皈依佛,當願眾生,體解大道,發無上心。 (I take refuge in The Buddha, wishing for all Sentient beings to understand the great way and make the greatest vow.)
    自皈依法,當願眾生,深入經藏,智慧如海。(I take refuge in the Dharma, wishing for all Sentient beings to deeply delve into the Sutra Pitaka, gaining an ocean of Knowledge.)
    自皈依僧,當願眾生,統理大眾,一切無礙。(I Take Refuge in the Sangha, wishing all Sentient beings to lead the congregation in Harmony, entirely without obstruction.)

A Tibetan (Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna) version:

    Until I am Enlightened,
    I go for refuge to The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
    Through the Virtue I create by practising giving and the other perfections,
    may I become a Buddha to Template:Wiki all Sentient beings.

Puxianpusa.jpg

    Sangye Cho dang Tsok kyi chog nam la
    Jang Chub bar du dag gi jin gyat su chi
    Dag gi jin so yi pe tsog nam ki
    Dro la pen Chir Sangye drub par shok

Levels[edit | edit source]

According to Atisha in the 11th century Lamp for the Path, and in the subsequent Lamrim tradition as elaborated by Tsongkhapa, one can distinguish several levels of refuge. These purposes are introduced using the Template:Wiki of the practitioner's "scope" of aspiration:



Another Template:Wiki between different levels of Going for Refuge, given by Sangharakshita in his text Going for Refuge is:



The practice of Taking Refuge on behalf of young or even Template:Wiki children is mentioned in the Majjhima Nikaya, recognized by most scholars as an early text (cf Template:Wiki baptism).

The Dhammapada[edit | edit source]

Template:SeeDhammapada

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Driven only by Template:Wiki, do men go for refuge to many places — to hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines.
Such, indeed, is no safe refuge; such is not the refuge supreme. Not by resorting to such a refuge is one released from all Suffering.
He who has gone for refuge to The Buddha, the Teaching and his Order, penetrates with transcendental Wisdom The Four Noble TruthsSuffering, the cause of Suffering, the cessation of Suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of Suffering.
This indeed is the safe refuge, this the refuge supreme. Having gone to such a refuge, one is released from all Suffering.
Dhammapada 188-192

Template:R Wikipedia:Refuge (Buddhism)