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Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels or Triple Gem, (aka the "Three Refuges"). This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.
The Three Jewels general signification is:
Refuge in the Triple Gem is common to all major schools of Buddhism.
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 perceived Western notions of faith, sraddha arises from accumulated experience and reasoning.
In the Kalama Sutra the Buddha explicitly argues against simply following authority or tradition, particularly those of religions contemporary to the Buddha's time.[1] There remains value for a degree of trusting confidence and belief in Buddhism, primarily in the spiritual attainment and salvation or enlightenment through the Buddha's wisdom. Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Three Jewels.
Having taken refuge in the Buddha a Buddhist should not go for refuge to other deities. Having taken refuge in the Dharma a Buddhist should do no harm to other sentient beings. Having taken refuge in the Sangha a Buddhist should not rely on heretics.[2]
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) ..."
Serious lay people or aspiring monks may take an additional three to five ethical precepts, and strengthen some of the five precepts. For example, the precept pertaining to sexual misconduct becomes a precept of celibacy.
Sanskrit version:
Pāli (Theravāda) version:
Khmer characters:
Uyghur version:
Chinese version:
However, some substitute the above with a (Mahāyāna) version taken from the Lotus Sutra which reads:
Tibetan : The basic refuge in Tibetan is:
A Mahayana refuge in Tibetan:
According to Atisha in the 11th century Lamp for the Path, and in the subsequent Lamrim tradition of the Tibetan variant of Buddhism as elaborated by Tsongkhapa, one can distinguish several levels of refuge. These purposes are introduced using the concept of the practitioner's "scope" of aspiration:
Another distinction between different levels of going for refuge, given by the English Buddhist teacher Sangharakshita (Dennis Philip Edward Lingwood) in his text Going for Refuge is:
The practice of taking refuge on behalf of young or even unborn children is mentioned[6] in the Majjhima Nikaya, recognized by most scholars as an early text (cf infant baptism).
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