Symbol of the triratna, as seen in the Sanchi stupa, 1st century BCE.

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. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Sinhala or Sinhalese (සිංහල, ISO 15919: , IPA: [], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 558 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (565 × 607 pixel, file size: 24 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Three Jewels Template:Parallels Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 558 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (565 × 607 pixel, file size: 24 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Three Jewels Template:Parallels Metadata This... Sanchi is a small village of India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Taking Refuge makes the difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. ...

The Three Jewels are:

• Buddha (The Enlightened One; Chn: 佛, Fó, Jpn: Butsu), 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), which is the Teachings of the Buddha.
• Sangha (The Community; Chn: 僧, Sēng, Jpn: Sō), The Community of those great people who have attained Enlightenment. so that those people(Sangha) will help you to attain Enlightenment.^[1]

Media:Example. ... Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धम्म) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fǎ in Mandarin and hō in Japanese. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ...

The Three Jewels and "Taking Refuge"

Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is central to Buddhist lay and monastic ordination ceremonies, as originated by Gautama Buddha^[1]. Taking Refuge makes the difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ...

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: Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand). ... Pali may refer to: Pāli, a Middle Indo-Aryan language Pali, Rajasthan, a town and district in Rajasthan, western India Pali, a Hawaiian word, meaning cliffs Nuuanu Pali, a region on the Hawaiian island of Oahu Ballaleshwar Pali, the Ganapati temple of pali and place in Maharastra This is... A Buddhist chant is a form of musical verse or incantation, in some ways analogous to Hindu or Christian religious recitations. ...

Importance of the Triple Gem

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. These qualities are called the Mirror of the Dharma in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta and help the practitioner attain the true "mind like a mirror". Media:Example. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धम्म) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fǎ in Mandarin and hō in Japanese. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ... For the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, a text of East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, see Nirvana Sutra. ...

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."

The Triratna or "Three Jewels" symbol, on a Buddha footprint (bottom symbol, the top symbol being a dharmachakra). 1st century CE, Gandhara.

Download high resolution version (459x800, 242 KB) Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (459x800, 242 KB) Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Footprint of the Buddha. ... It has been suggested that Dharma-chakra be merged into this article or section. ... Gandhāra (Sanskrit: गन्धार, Persian; Gandara, Waihind) (Urdu: گندھارا) is the name of an ancient Indian Mahajanapada, currently in northern Pakistan (the North-West Frontier Province and parts of northern Punjab and Kashmir) and eastern Afghanistan. ...

Discussions of The Three Jewels

The qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are frequently repeated in the ancient texts.

• 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."^[2]

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. A garden featuring depictions of various arhats (Hsi Lai Temple, California) An arhat (Sanskrit, also arahat or arahant (Pali); Chinese: 阿羅漢, āluóhàn, luóhàn, lohan; Tibetan: dgra-bcom-pa; Jp. ...

• 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."^[2]

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. 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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tibetan Buddhism (Simplified Chinese: 藏传佛教) is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... The Kangyur are a collection of Sanskrit classics that date back to the times of Buddha. ... The Tengyur (Wylie: Bstan-gyur is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings, or Translated Treatises. The Bejing version covers 3626 texts in 224 volumes, but numbers vary depending on the version. ...

• 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."^[2]

In the Vajrayana, a more liberal definition of Sangha can include all practitioners who are actively using the Buddhas 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.

Triratna symbol on the reverse (left field) of a coin of the Indo-Scythian king Azes II (r.c. 35-12 BCE).

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1962x964, 3101 KB) Coin of Azes II. Personal photograph, personal coin. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1962x964, 3101 KB) Coin of Azes II. Personal photograph, personal coin. ... The Indo-Scythian King of Kings Azes II (c. ... Silver coin of King Azes II (r. ...

The Three Jewels and The Three Roots

In Vajrayana traditions, a second formulation of refuge called the Three Roots is added to the three jewels. 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. 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. Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... In Vajrayana Buddhism, a Yidam (Tibetan) or Ishtadevata (Sanskrit) is a fully enlightened being who is the focus of personal meditation, during a retreat or for life. ... A dakini (Sanskrit: sky dancer; Chinese language: 空行女) is a Tantric priestess of ancient India who carried the souls of the dead to the sky. This Buddhist figure is particularly upheld in Tibetan Buddhism. ... In Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapāla (Tibetan drag-gshed) is a type of wrathful deity. ...

History of the Triple Gem Metaphor

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 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. Taking Refuge makes the difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. ... A Buddhist Monk in Sri Lanka In Pāli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ... Bhikkhuni refers to the tradition of Buddhist holy women, or nuns. ...

Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...

"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. In the Anguttara Nikaya(3:25), Buddha talks about the diamond mind which can cut through all delusion. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... This article is about the gemstone. ... The Anguttara Nikaya (Gradual Collection) is the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the three baskets that compose the Pali Tipitaka. ... This article is about the gemstone. ...

"Gems" in the 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^[4] which contains a series of verses on the Jewels in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. ... Sūtra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... Media:Example. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धम्म) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fǎ in Mandarin and hō in Japanese. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ...

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.
• 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

The Four Noble Truths (Pali: Cattāri ariyasaccāni, Sanskrit: Catvāri āryasatyāni, Chinese: Sìshèngdì) are one of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings. ...

Shared Metaphor with Jainism and Taoism

When Buddhism was introduced into China, ratnatraya was translated as sanbao (Chinese: 三寶; Hanyu Pinyin: sānbǎo; Wade-Giles: san-pao; literally "three jewels/treasures"), a word that first occurs in the Tao Te Ching. Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: D Jīng, thus sometimes rendered in recent works as Dao De Jing; archaic pre-Wade-Giles rendering: Tao Teh Ching; roughly translated as The Book of the Way and its Virtue (see dedicated chapter below on translating the title)) is...

In his analysis of the Taoi Te Ching, Victor H. Mair notes^[5] that the jewel metaphor was already widely used in Indian religious metaphor before the Tao Te Ching was written. The notion of Three Jewels used by both Buddhist and Jain literature. Victor H. Mair is Professor of Chinese Language and Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States. ...

For the Jains, the Three Jewels signified

• samyag-darśana (correct perception or insight)
• samyag-jñāna (correct knowledge)
• samyag-cāritra (correct conduct).

Symbolism in Art

The compound Buddhist symbols: Shrivatsa within a triratana, over a Dharmacakra wheel, on the Tonana gate at Sanchi. 1st century BCE.

The Three Jewels are also symbolized by the triratna, composed of (from bottom to top): Image File history File links SanchiGateSymbol. ... Image File history File links SanchiGateSymbol. ... According to the entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Vishnu is one of the principal Hindu deities, worshipped as the protector and preserver of the world and restorer of dharma (moral order). ... The Triratna or Three Jewels symbol, on a Buddha footprint. ... The Dharmacakra (Sanskrit) or Dhammacakka (Pāli), Tibetan , Chinese fălún 法轮, Wheel of Dharma is an auspicious Buddhist symbol representing a Buddhas teaching of the path to enlightenment. ... Sanchi is a small village of India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. ... (Redirected from 1st century BCE) (2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century - other centuries) The 1st century BC starts on January 1, 100 BC and ends on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st...

• A lotus flower within a circle.
• A diamond rod, or vajra.
• A Gankyil.
• 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. Binomial name Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. ... Vajrasattva holds the vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left hand. ... The Gankyil (Tib. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Trisula is the Pali word for a Trident. The symbolic weapon of the Hindu god Shiva is a trisula. ... Media:Example. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धम्म) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fǎ in Mandarin and hō in Japanese. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ... Footprint of the Buddha. ... The Dharmacakra (Sanskrit) or Dhammacakka (Pāli), Tibetan , Chinese fălún 法轮, Wheel of Dharma is an auspicious Buddhist symbol representing a Buddhas teaching of the path to enlightenment. ...

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). Frieze of the Tower of the Winds. ... Sanchi is a small village of India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. ... Stupa at Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland A stupa (from the Sanskrit) is a type of Buddhist structure found across the Indian subcontinent, Asia and increasingly in the Western World. ... Sanchi is a small village of India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. ... Footprint of the Buddha. ...

2nd century BCE coin of the Kunindas, incorporating on the reverse the Buddhist triratna symbol on top of a stupa.

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. Image File history File linksMetadata KunindaCoin. ... Image File history File linksMetadata KunindaCoin. ... Silver coin of the Kuninda Kingdom, c. ... Stupa at Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland A stupa (from the Sanskrit) is a type of Buddhist structure found across the Indian subcontinent, Asia and increasingly in the Western World. ... (Redirected from 1st century BCE) (2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century - other centuries) The 1st century BC starts on January 1, 100 BC and ends on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st... Silver coin of the Kuninda Kingdom, c. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (Persian: ‎, meaning Land of the five Rivers) (c. ... Stupa at Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland A stupa (from the Sanskrit) is a type of Buddhist structure found across the Indian subcontinent, Asia and increasingly in the Western World. ... Coin of Gondophares (20-50 AD), first king of the Indo-Parthians kingdom. ... Coins of the Indo-Parthian king Abdagases, in which his clothing is clearly apparent. ... Boundary of the Kushan empire, c. ... Coin of 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). Media:Example. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धम्म) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fǎ in Mandarin and hō in Japanese. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ...

The triratna symbol is also called nandipada, or "bull's hoof", by Hindus. This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hanh, Thich Nhat (1991). Old Path White Clouds: walking in the footsteps of the Buddha. Parallax Press, 157-161. ISBN 0-938077-26-0. 
2. ^ ^{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. 
3. ^ 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.. 
4. ^ (1990) in Anderson, Dines, & Smith, Helmer: Sutta Nipata (pali). oxford: Pali Text Society, 39-42. 
5. ^ 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 Thich Nhat Hanh (Press Release Photo) Courtesy of Plum Village Practice Center, France Thich Nhat Hanh (Thích Nhất Hạnh; IPA: ; born in 1926, is an expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and prolific author in both Vietnamese and English. ...

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.
• Chanting of Pali text by Ven. Indaratana Maha Thera
• Online chanting service of famous Pali texts

Footnotes

1. ^  Refuge : An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. Thanissaro Bhikkhu : Third edition, revised, 2001