Three Jewels

http://Buddhism.2be.net/Category:Three_Jewels

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

• Chinese :  三宝 sānbǎo
• Pali :  tiratana
• Sanskrit :  triratna, ratna-traya

The Three Jewels, also rendered as Three Treasures, or Triple Gem are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to in the process known as Three Refuges. The jewels are: the Buddha (The Enlightened One), who, in this context, exemplifies an understanding and way of living; the Dharma (The Teaching), the teachings of the Buddha, on the way of understanding and love; and the Sangha (The Community), the community of disciples, aspiring to live in harmony and awareness.

Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is central to Buddhist lay and monastic ordination ceremonies, as originated by Gautama Buddha.

Three Refuges

The Three Jewels when used in the process of refuge, become the Three Refuges.

The expression Three Jewels occurs very rarely in the earliest Buddhist literature of the Pali Canon, but there is one sutta in the Sutta-nipata, called the Ratana-sutta which contains a series of verses on the Jewels in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. In the Ratana Sutta, all the qualities of the Sangha mentioned are attributes of the Buddha's enlightened disciples.

Qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha

The qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are frequently repeated in the ancient texts. It is a Buddhist practise to reflect upon them.

• 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."

Symbol

The Three Jewels are also symbolized by the triratna, composed of (from bottom to top):

• A lotus flower within a circle.
• A diamond rod, or vajra.
• A trident, or trisula, with three branches, representing the threefold jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

On representations of the footprint of the Buddha, the Triratna is usually also surmounted by the Dharma wheel.

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).

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 Gondophares, or the coins of some of the Kushan kings such as Vima Kadphises.

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).

The triratna symbol is also called nandipada, or "bull's hoof", by Hindus.

Meaning of the Triple Gem

When we take refuge in the Buddha, we are not taking refuge in any "external teacher", but the teacher within us, this perfect teacher is the "Buddha". We understand this when Buddha taught :

In the Dhammapada verse 165 :

By oneself is evil done;

by oneself is one defiled.

By oneself is evil left undone;

by oneself is one made pure.

Purity and impurity depended on oneself;

no one can purify another.

In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta :

"For that which I have proclaimed and made known as the Dharma and the Vinaya, that shall be your master when I am gone."

- Gautama Buddha

Buddha in sanskrit means "knowing (gnosis) wisdom, discerned intelligence, perfectly awakened".
Dharma in sanskrit means "truth"
Sangha is the Arya Sangha or community of saints as well as the community of men and women who share our goals of perfect awakening.

• buddhang saranang gacchami

I take refuge in the guidance of the perfectly awakened wisdom

• dhammang saranang gacchami

I take refuge in the Truth

• sanghang saranang gacchami

I take refuge in the saints and community who share this goal