中道佛學社
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Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem Must we take the refuge in order to become Buddhists? Venerable Master Sheng Yen – Buddhism of Right Belief It was translated from Chinese by Brother Say Lee |
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Practicing
Buddhism is poles apart from the ritualistic belief in supernatural
beings prevalent among the lay public. Practicing Buddhism entails
embracing the Triple gem. The Triple gem refers to the Buddha, the
Dharma, and the Sangha; thus named as gem because they are
inexhaustible in supply; once imbued, they become our constant
companions, beyond destruction by fire and water as well as pilferage
through theft, and serve as our guidance for eternity, they being
superior to the likes of other earthly treasures.
The Buddha
gem denotes the epitome of practice, attaining both compassion and
wisdom. All sentient beings are endowed with the Buddha nature. It
follows then that all the past, present and future generations of
Bodhisattvas command our reverence. However, in our world of
historical personalities, only Shakyamuni Buddha has achieved
enlightenment.
The Dharma
gem denotes the way of practice that would lead to Buddhahood. The
Dharma that we know comes from the utterances of Shakyamuni. Hence, we
address him as our "Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha". Today, the
sutras/scriptures, precepts, and treatises of the Tripitaka, together
with the accounts and explanations of various Venerable masters
constitute the Dharma gem that not only guides our practice, but
functions as the criteria to which our practice must adhere.
The Sangha
gem refers to the community of practitioners and those assisting and
nurturing others to practice Buddhism, and include Bodhisattvas,
Arhats, and lay Buddhist monks and nuns. Since we are not able to
recognize Bodhisattvas and Arhats even upon encounter, we come into
contact with the lay Buddhist monks and nuns much more readily.
Therefore, these lay Buddhist monks and nuns become the center of the
Sangha gem in this mundane world of ours.
The Sangha
gem is the teacher, the Dharma gem is the teaching material, and the
Buddha gem is the one who both invented and discovered the teaching
material. It is only when the three are together, forming the Triple
gem, that the practice of Buddhism is considered complete. Otherwise,
if we selectively adopt the Buddha gem among the three, that's no
difference from superstitious belief in the supernatural. Similarly,
if we opt only for the Dharma gem, it's not different from engaging in
an academic study of philosophy. So too is adhering to the Sangha gem
only being likened to having god-parents, a common societal practice.
These selective adoptions do not a Buddhist make.
Therefore,
taking refuge in the Triple gem is analogous to registering to be a
student, the very first step toward embracing Buddhism. It's only
after registration, and being issued a student ID that we recognize
ourselves to be students of the school. And the school will likewise
accept our attendance. Attending classes is a student's obligation,
and teaching classes is the school's responsibility. Hence, undergoing
the ceremony of taking refuge is essential, its significance being no
less than other similarly solemnized and sanctioned occasions such as
matrimony, employee and member swearing-in, all subjected to the rigor
of oath.
However, one
obviously can learn to become a Buddhist even without having to go
through the taking the refuge ceremony. Buddhism does not deem those
who have not taken the refuge as devils. But, it's perhaps fair to
conclude that those who have not taken the refuge would become
hesitant, resort to excuses, and prevaricate. When pressed into making
a decision, they may exonerate themselves by citing the fact that not
being a Buddhist, they are not duty-bound to observe the various
edicts that forbid sloth, indulgence, promiscuity, slander, pilfering
and other such bad habits. They are more prone to forgiving
themselves, and would not institute preventive measures as safeguards.
On the other
hand, it's natural that one who has taken the refuge will exercise
self-discipline, and be alert to pitfalls. They will also receive
encouragement, guidance, and advice from fellow Buddhists and the
Sangha community. All these supports will facilitate elevating our
moral character, augmenting our Dharma mind, and strengthening our
learning resolve, placing these and other endeavors toward attaining
enlightenment on the right track.
Readers are
hereby admonished not to disregard the importance of taking the
refuge, or misconstrue that a lay person who has yet to learn and
practice Buddhism is not qualified to participate in taking the refuge
in the Triple gem. It is precisely that one does not understand the
how of practicing Buddhism, and yet convinced that Buddhism is the way
to go that one must take the refuge straightaway. For those who feel
inadequate in becoming a Buddhist, there is more reason that they
should take the refuge now. After taking the refuge, we will be
assisted and nurtured in our endeavor, be it mental state, living
condition, habit, and other aspects by all the Bodhisattvas and others
within the Sangha community. Therefore, those who are weak in mental
fortitude and lack confidence will have their fortitude buttressed and
confidence boosted after taking the refuge in the Triple gem.
求福求慧求生淨土;
為人為法為證菩提。
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