The Three Jewels of Buddhism

By Aazdak Alisimo

There are many items that are sacred within the dharmic religion of Buddhism, but the Three Jewels of Buddhism are the very cornerstones of this religion and its beliefs.

Several parts of Buddhism make up the core of this religion. They include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, both of which are beliefs that were developed by the Buddha when he was enlightened by meditation. The Three Jewels of Buddhism are similar, but they can also be seen as the three things that Buddhists actually "give" themselves to in order to belong to this religion. The Three Jewels are Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

The Three Jewels are also known as the "Gachchamis". The first of these, Buddha, is stated as Buddham, sharanam, gachchami and means "I go to the feet of the Awakened One". The Buddha, as referenced in this jewel, can be taken to mean the historical Buddha, or to mean the Buddha's nature or ideal within everyone. Buddha can also be taken to mean Buddhahood or the attainment of Buddhahood, meaning finding the pinnacle of your spiritual and life potential. The name the Three Jewels or the Three Gems also comes from the Buddha, who was known as the Diamond Mind.

The second of the Three Jewels of Buddhism is Dharma, and the Gachchami for this is Dhammam sharanam gachchami, which means "I go to the feet of Dharma, the Eternal Law". The word Dharma literally translates into "the Teaching", and it is the laws and teachings that were handed down to Buddha's followers by Buddha himself. In the Theraveda tradition, Dharma consists only of these laws, but in Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism, there are other parts of Dharma that are recognized. These include not only Kangyur (the teaching of the Buddha) but also Tengyur (the commentaries of Buddhist practitioners).

The third Jewel is Sangha. Sangha translated into English literally means "the Community", and the Gachchami for Sangha is Sangham sharanam gachchami, which means "I go to the feet of the Sangha, the Awakened One's community". In Tibetan Buddhism, Sangha is used to refer to all of the people who practice Buddhism and use the Buddha's teachings to benefit themselves and others. In other sects of Buddhism, such as Theraveda, Sangha means the community of practitioners and devotees that have fully realized the nature of their mind - "Realized Sangha" as well as those who are working towards that goal "Ordinary Sangha".

The Three Jewels of Buddhism are often seen represented within a lotus flower within a circle, or surrounded by the dharmic wheel and placed on a representation of the Buddha's foot. This important aspect of Buddhism is one that all sects subscribe to.

Read free dahli lama quotes daily for peace and enlightment at DahliLamaQuotesDaily.com.