Refuge in Buddhism
In the second century AD, a schist sculpture in Gandhara depicts devotees venerating the Three Jewels. This visual record anchors a practice that emerged in early Buddhist scriptures as a declaration of determination. Taking refuge was not a relinquishing of responsibility but an aspiration to lead a life with the Triple Gem at its core. The Pali Canon describes this act as threefold support: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Laypeople supported the monastic order because they believed it would render them karmically fruitful merit. The monk held a significant role in promoting faith among these lay followers. When monks misbehaved, the Buddha responded with sensitivity to the perceptions of the community. He stated that such behavior should be curbed because it would persuade non-believers away or cause believers to turn back. Faith arose from accumulated experience and reasoning rather than blind authority. The Kalama Sutra explicitly argued against simply following tradition or contemporary religious authorities.
Early texts defined the Sañgha as a field of merit where offerings were particularly karmically fruitful. Devotees expressed their faith through this threefold act of taking refuge. The first jewel is the fully enlightened one, specifically the figure of Sakyamuni Buddha. The second jewel is the Dharma, the spiritual doctrine expounded by the Buddha which includes characteristics like impermanence. The third jewel is the Sangha, the monastic order that practices and preserves the Dharma. This structure centers on the authority of a Buddha as a supremely awakened being. It assents to a role for a Buddha as a teacher of both humans and devas. Early Buddhism did not include bodhisattvas in the Three Refuges since they were considered still on the path to enlightenment. Lay devotees revere the Sangha believing it will bring them closer to enlightenment. The text notes that while many monks behaved well, others misbehaved requiring new rules in the monastic code. These rules existed to ensure monks upheld the faith of the people without hypocrisy.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the three jewels are understood differently than in Sravakayana forms. The Ratnagotravibhāga treatise explains that the true meaning of the triple gem involves the Dharmakaya. The Buddha is described as peace, uncompounded, spontaneous, and self-enlightened wisdom. The Dharma is equated with reality which is cessation and non-conceptual truth. The Sangha refers to beings who realize the true luminous nature of the mind. According to Tibetan master Longchenpa, the buddha jewel includes innumerable Buddhas like Amitabha and Vairocana. The Dharma jewel includes Mahayana sutras and sometimes Buddhist tantras. The Sangha jewel includes high level bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri. The Śrīmālā Sūtra states that the Dharma and Sangha are partial refuges while the Buddha is supreme. This is because the Dharma attains the Dharmakāya while the Sangha looks to the Tathāgata for refuge. The Ratnagotravibhāga considers the Dharma and Sangha temporary refuges while the Buddha jewel is eternal.
The Platform Sūtra teaches that one should take refuge in the Buddha within oneself rather than external figures. Huineng urged his listeners to take refuge in the three jewels of their own essential nature. In this explanation, Buddha refers to awareness, Dharma refers to truth, and Sangha to purity. The sūtra distinctly says we should take refuge in the buddha within ourselves without suggesting other buddhas. If we do not take refuge in the buddha within ourselves, there is no other place for us to retreat. Chan materials define the three jewels as inseparable in mind or heart. The second patriarch Huike explained that this Heart is Buddha and this Heart is Dharma. The Tsung Ching Record of Dazhu Huihai stated that Mind is the Buddha and it is needless to use this Buddha to seek the Buddha. Such teachings emphasize that Buddha and Dharma are not separate entities and their togetherness forms the Sangha.
Tibetan Buddhism employs three distinct refuge formulations known as Outer, Inner, and Secret forms. The Outer form is the Triple Gem while the Inner is the Three Roots. The Secret form is the Three Bodies or trikaya of a Buddha. These alternative formulas are employed by those undertaking deity yoga and tantric practices. Recitations exist in Pali literature alongside various other recitations mentioned in early texts. Brett Shults proposes that Pali texts may employ the Brahmanical motif of a group of three refuges found in Rig Veda 9.97.47. Lay followers often undertake five precepts in the same ceremony as they take the refuges. Monks administer these precepts which creates an additional psychological effect for the practitioner. The five precepts prohibit killing, stealing, misusing sex, false speech, and indulging in intoxicants. A layperson who upholds the precepts is described in the texts as a jewel among laymen.
The Triratna symbol visually represents the Three Jewels on frieze sculptures at Sanchi from the second century BCE. It appears as a lotus flower within a circle surmounted by a diamond rod or vajra. An ananda-chakra and a trident with three branches represent the threefold jewels of Buddhism. On representations of the footprint of the Buddha, the Triratna is usually also surmounted by the Dhamma wheel. The symbol crowns flag standards installed on the Buddha's throne during the second century BCE. It serves as a decorative symbol on later gates at the stupa in Sanchi from the second century CE. Historical coins of Buddhist kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent feature this symbol prominently. The Kuninda Kingdom issued first century BCE coins bearing the triratna design. Coins of Abdagases I of the Indo-Scythian and Vima Kadphises of the Kushan Empire also display it. Hindus sometimes call the triratna symbol nandipada or bull's hoof.
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Common questions
What are the three jewels in Buddhism according to early Buddhist scriptures?
The Pali Canon describes the threefold support as the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The first jewel is Sakyamuni Buddha, the second is the spiritual doctrine of impermanence, and the third is the monastic order that preserves the teaching.
How does Mahayana Buddhism define the three jewels differently from Sravakayana forms?
Mahayana texts like the Ratnagotravibhāga treatise explain the triple gem through the Dharmakaya where the Buddha represents peace and self-enlightened wisdom. This tradition includes innumerable Buddhas such as Amitabha and Vairocana while defining the Sangha as beings who realize the true luminous nature of the mind.
What does the Platform Sūtra teach about taking refuge in the Buddha within oneself?
Huineng urged listeners to take refuge in the three jewels of their own essential nature rather than external figures. In this context, Buddha refers to awareness, Dharma refers to truth, and Sangha refers to purity found within the heart.
When did the Triratna symbol appear on frieze sculptures at Sanchi?
The Triratna symbol visually represents the Three Jewels on frieze sculptures at Sanchi from the second century BCE. It appears as a lotus flower within a circle surmounted by a diamond rod or vajra and serves as a decorative symbol on later gates at the stupa from the second century CE.
Which historical coins feature the triratna design from the Indian subcontinent?
Historical coins of Buddhist kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent feature this symbol prominently including those issued by the Kuninda Kingdom in the first century BCE. Coins of Abdagases I of the Indo-Scythian and Vima Kadphises of the Kushan Empire also display it.