The Three Jewels

See also Refuge.

^[1] In Tibetan Buddhism, the Three Jewels and Three Roots are supports in which a Buddhist takes refuge "Refuge in Buddhism") by means of a prayer or recitation at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. The Three Jewels are the first and the Three Roots are the second set of three Tibetan Buddhist refuge formulations, the Outer, Inner and Secret forms of the Three Jewels. The 'Outer' form is the 'Triple Gem' (Sanskrit: triratna), the 'Inner' is the Three Roots and the 'Secret' form is the 'Three Bodies' or trikāya of a Buddha.

These are:

• the [Buddha] "Gautama Buddha"), the fully enlightened one
• the [Dharma], the teachings expounded by the Buddha
• the Saṅgha, the monastic order of Buddhism that practice the Dharma
• the Lama (Sanskrit: guru) is the 'root of blessing' or 'root of grace'
• the Yidam (Sanskrit: ishtadevata) is the 'root of methods' or 'root of accomplishments'
• the Dakini or Dharmapala is the 'root of activity' or 'root of protection'.

The additional refuge formulations are employed by those undertaking deity yoga and other tantric practices within the Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana tradition as a means of recognizing the universality of Buddha Nature. The Three Roots are commonly mentioned in the Nyingma and Kagyu literature of Tibetan Buddhism. Unlike most aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, which originated in India, the Three Roots may be an original Tibetan formulation from the time of Padmasambhava.

Individual Jewels

Buddha

Lord Buddha is the Enlightened One who discovered the Ultimate Path to release clinging and craving and liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth.

Dharma

For practising Buddhists, references to "Dharma" (Dhamma in Pali) particularly as "the dharma", generally means the teachings of the Buddha, commonly known throughout the East as Buddhadharma. It includes especially the discourses on the fundamental principles (such as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, as opposed to the parables and to the poems.

Saṅgha

The Saṅgha is the third of the Three Refuges. Common over all schools is that the āryasaṅgha is the foremost form of this third jewel. As for recognizable current-life forms, the interpretation of what is the Jewel depends on how a school defines Saṅgha. For example, for many schools, monastic life is considered to provide the safest and most suitable environment for advancing toward enlightenment and liberation due to the temptations and vicissitudes of life in the world.

Vajrayana and Dzogchen formulations

Dilgo Khyentse, head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism until his death in 1991, explained the twilight language correspondences and meaning of the Outer, Inner and Secret aspects of the Three Jewels:

The outer three jewels are the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. The Three jewels have an inner aspect, known as the Three Roots: the Guru (or Teacher), who is the root of blessings; the Yidam, who is the root of accomplishment; and the Dakini, who is the root of enlightened activity. Although the names are different, these three do not in any way differ from the Three Jewels. The Guru is the Budha [sic], the Yidam is the Dharma, and the Dakinis and Protectors are the Saṅgha. And on the innermost level, the dharmakāya is the Buddha, the saṃbhogakāya is the Dharma, and the nirmāṇakāya is the Saṅgha.

Buddhist Vajrayana Refuge Formulations

The Three Roots formulation also fits into the framework of the Trikāya ('three bodies') of a Buddha where they are seen as equating to the following forms: the protector is the body, the yidam is the Speech and the lama is the mind. According to the Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols:

The trinity of body, speech, and mind are known as the three gates, three receptacles or three vajras, and correspond to the western religious concept of righteous thought (mind), word (speech), and deed (body). The three vajras also correspond to the three kāyas, with the aspect of body located at the crown (nirmāṇakāya), the aspect of speech at the throat (saṃbhogakāya), and the aspect of mind at the heart (dharmakāya).

Pabongkhapa Déchen Nyingpo also identifies the seed syllables corresponding to the Three Vajras as: a white om (enlightened body), a red ah (enlightened speech) and a blue hum (enlightened mind).

Three refuge motivation levels are:

• suffering rebirth's fear motivates with the idea of happiness,
• knowing rebirth won’t bring freedoms motivates attaining nirvana, while
• seeing other’s suffering motivates establishing them all in Buddhahood.

Happiness is temporary, lifetimes are impermanent and ultimately refuge is taken until reaching unsurpassable awakening.

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