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The article below is a short introduction to the basic principles of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dhamma/Dharma (his teachings), and Sangha (the community of his noble disciples), also known as the Triple Gem or the Triple Refuge.

'Buddha' can be divided into a number of levels. The 'Buddha' of his physical representatives refers to Buddha images, stupas, and places worthy of veneration such as his birthplace, the place of his Awakening, the place where he delivered his first sermon, and the place where he entered total nibbana, which at present lie within the boundaries of India and Nepal. All of these things qualify on the physical level as symbols of the Buddha for those who revere them, but they may be disqualified if the people who revere them lack the necessary inner qualifications. Take Buddha images as an example: You should understand Buddha images as having three characteristic types --

1. those inhabited by angry demons;
2. those inhabited by divinities;
3. those that people of virtue have invested with the potency of the mind -- these can be termed, 'inhabited by the Dhamma.'

In other words, Buddha images can be beneficial or harmful depending on how they are used by those who revere them. Even people who use them as charms in committing robbery, casting spells, or performing black magic may get results because of the power of their conviction. But if we can be selective and use these images in ways that are right, the potency they contain will benefit us, bringing us blessings and protecting us from danger. Thus, the symbols of the Buddha can function in various ways. There is much more to this topic, but if we were to discuss it here, it would draw things out even further. These images can either qualify or be disqualified as symbols of the Buddha, depending on the people who revere them, but the images in themselves are neutral.

The important point for people who hope for true welfare, though, is to invest themselves with the qualities that serve on the inner level as symbols of reverence for the Buddha. These qualities are three --

1 Sati: wakefulness.

2 Pañña: the intuitive discernment and cognitive skill that come from concentrating the mind.

3 Vimutti: purity and release from mental defilement: This is the essence of 'Buddha-ratanam,' the gem of the Buddha.

Dhamma: Good Dhamma is of three sorts --

1 Pariyatti: This refers to studying and memorizing passages from the Canon, which qualifies on the physical level as a symbol of the Dhamma taught by the Buddha. But this, too, can either qualify or be disqualified as a symbol. Some people, for example, use passages from the Dhamma in committing robbery or casting spells. For instance, they repeat the chant of the virtues of the Dhamma or the phrase, 'Namo buddhaya,' three times or seven times, and then commit thievery or highway robbery, believing that they have made themselves invincible. Or when casting spells, they repeat the phrase, 'Na-metta, mo-karuna, da-love me, I won't go, you come, omasavaha' -- they say that this makes a woman really fall for a man. This sort of thing disqualifies the phrase, even though its original meaning may have been something good.

But if we revere the Dhamma and make use of it through the power of our conviction, memorizing passages of Pali for the sake of what is good and pure, and then putting them into use, they will give rise to merit. For example, if we repeat the phrase, 'Dhammam saranam gacchami (I go to the Dhamma for refuge),' or 'Namo buddhaya (Homage to the Buddha),' with heartfelt conviction, giving rise to a sense of joy, this mental state can then serve to protect us from certain kinds of accidents and harm. We may reap real benefits from the phrase we repeat. This is something that people who have respect for the Dhamma should investigate carefully.

These passages, then, can qualify as symbols of the Dhamma -- or be disqualified, if we don't know their true aims.

2 Patipatti: This refers to behaving sincerely in line with the Buddha's teachings:

a Sila: putting our thoughts, words, and deeds in order.

b Samadhi: keeping the mind firmly intent in the four levels of jhana, free from the mental Hindrances.

3 Pativedha: This refers to extinguishing defilement completely, releasing the mind from all suffering and stress. This qualifies as the essence of the Dhamma.

All three of the levels mentioned here form the inner qualifications of those who truly revere and follow the Dhamma.

Sangha: If we translate this as a substantive, it refers to those who shave their heads and wear the yellow robe as a sign of having been ordained. These people can qualify on the external level as symbols of the Sangha or they may be disqualified. To qualify, they have to meet three criteria:

1 Vatthu-sampatti: The individual to be ordained as a monk has to possess the proper characteristics as stipulated in the Vinaya.

2 Sangha-sampatti: The monks who gather to witness the ordination constitute a legitimate quorum.

3 Sima-sampatti: The place in which the ordination is held has had its boundaries properly defined.

When an individual ordains in line with these criteria, he qualifies as a symbol of the Sangha. But viewed from another angle, if the individual has met these criteria and becomes a monk but doesn't behave in line with the Dhamma and Vinaya -- disobeying the training rules established by the Buddha, committing major and minor offenses with no sense of shame -- he becomes disqualified on the personal level, just as a Buddha image that has been properly consecrated but is then put to improper uses by evil or lowminded people is bound to lead to harm. A monk with no sense of conscience or shame is like a Buddha image inhabited by an angry demon. Normally, when an angry demon takes possession of a person, it reveals itself by its behavior. For example, when some angry demons take possession, they like to run around naked, harassing other people. If a person has no sense of conscience or shame, it's as if he were possessed by an angry demon. In other words, if he doesn't have any moral restraint, it's as if he lacked the clothing needed to hide his nakedness. And when this is the case, he is disqualified as a symbol of the Sangha.

A person who meets the three external qualifications mentioned above has to behave in line with the inner virtues of the Sangha --

1.a. Caga: relinquishing external and internal enemies (worries and concerns).

b. Sila: keeping one's words and deeds in proper order.

To have these two qualities is to qualify as a human being (supatipanno).

2.a. Hiri: having a sense of shame at the thought of doing evil; not daring to do evil in public or private.

b. Ottappa: having a sense of dread at the thought of the results of doing evil.

If a monk has these qualities (termed 'deva-dhamma,' the principles of heavenly beings), it's as if he were inhabited by a celestial being (uju-patipanno).

3 Samadhi: steadying the mind so as to reach the first level of jhana and then developing it up to the fourth level, making it radiant and free from the mental Hindrances. If a monk does this, it's as if he were inhabited by a Brahma, for he has the inner qualifications of a Brahma (ñaya-patipanno).

4 Pañña, vijja, vimutti: gaining release from the mundane level, abandoning the three Fetters beginning with self-identification, reaching the Dhamma of the Buddha, attaining the state where we are guaranteed by the Buddha as being upright, dependable, honest, and sincere toward the Dhamma and Vinaya; gaining Awakening following his example, becoming a reliable member of the Sangha. Such people are termed 'ariya sotapanna' -- Noble Ones who have reached the stream -- and deserve to be called 'visuddhi-deva,' divinities through purity, whose virtues are higher than those of human beings, deities, Indra, or Brahma. Even though such people are still subject to death and rebirth, they are not like other human beings. The pure aspect of their heart will never again become defiled. Thus they deserve to be called, in a partial sense, divinities through purity (samici-patipanno).

All four of these qualities form the inner qualifications of the Sangha.

Speaking in terms of these inner qualifications, every person can become a member of the Sangha. But if we don't develop these qualities within ourselves and then take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha only on the external level, how will we get the full benefits? We're taught that if we can't depend on ourselves, there is no way we can hope to depend on others. For example, if an evil person breaks the law, commits robbery, and then asks the government to give him help, you can rest assured that the only help the government will give him will be to build a place for him to live in discomfort -- a jail. In the same way, if we don't behave in line with the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, how can we go around taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha? The Buddha taught:

Thus we should develop the inner qualifications of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha within ourselves. Then we will belong to the company of the Buddha's followers. If we belong to the religion as lay women, we are called 'upasika.' If we belong as lay men, we are called 'upasaka.' If we observe the ten precepts and are endowed with the virtues of the Sangha, we are termed 'samanera.' If we take a vow to join the community of those who fully observe the 227 precepts, we are termed 'bhikkhu.' When we join the company of the Buddha's followers in this way, all people in general who practice and revere the teachings will benefit -- just as when we meet the qualifications of a good citizen as set out by the government: If we are trained and educated to be good, we are bound to help the nation progress and prosper. But if we don't view ourselves as part of the nation and don't think of making a living to support ourselves, and instead simply go around looking for pleasure or for help from others, the results are bound to be bad.

Therefore, we as Buddhists have to study and practice before we can be Buddhists of virtue and value. We will then reap rewards in the visible present. And even if we are no longer able to live in this world, then when our bodies die and we head for another world, we have a good bourn awaiting us, as in the verse from the Maha-samaya Sutta:

Ye keci buddham saranam katase
Na te gamissanti apaya-bhumim.
Pahaya manusam deham
Deva-kayam paripuressantiti.

'Those who reach the refuge of the Buddha (in their own hearts, with purity) will close off all four of the lower realms (such as hell). When they leave this life they are bound for a good bourn (heaven), there to fill the ranks of the gods.'

Buddham dhammam sangham jivitam yava-nibbanam saranam gacchami.

'I go to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha as my life and refuge till reaching nibbana.'

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Glossary

Apaya: States of deprivation, i.e., the four lower realms of existence: rebirth in hell, as a hungry ghost, as an angry demon, or as a common animal. In Buddhism, none of these states are regarded as eternal conditions.

Brahma: An inhabitant of the higher heavens of form and formlessness, a position earned -- but not forever -- through the cultivation of virtue and meditative absorption, along with the attitudes of limitless love, compassion, appreciation, and equanimity.

Jhana: Absorption in a single object or preoccupation. Rupa-jhana refers to absorption in a physical sensation; arupa-jhana, to absorption in a mental notion or state.

Nibbana: Liberation; the unbinding of the mind from greed, anger, and delusion; from sensations and mental acts. As this term is also used to refer to the extinguishing of a fire, it carries the connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace. (According to the physics taught at the time of the Buddha, the property of fire exists in a latent state to a greater or lesser degree in all objects. When activated, it seizes and sticks to its fuel. When extinguished, it becomes unbound.)

Pali: The name of the most ancient recension of the Buddhist scriptures now extant; and -- by extension -- of the language in which it was composed.

Vinaya: The first of the three collections forming the Pali Canon, dealing with the disciplinary rules of the monastic order. The Buddha's own name for the religion he founded was, 'this Dhamma-Vinaya' -- this Doctrine and Discipline.