For a Future to Be Possible by THICH NHAT HANH

Author:THICH NHAT HANH
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Body, Mind & Spirit/Spiritualism
ISBN: 9781458711250
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant
Published: 2009-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Three Jewels

THE THREE JEWELS: BUDDHA, DHARMA, SANGHA

I take refuge in the Buddha,

the one who shows me the way in this life.

I take refuge in the Dharma,

the way of understanding and love.

I take refuge in the Sangha,

the community that lives in harmony and awareness.

IN THE BUDDHIST TRADITION, whenever you formally vow to study, practice, and observe the Five Mindfulness Trainings, you also take refuge in the Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The Buddha is mindfulness itself; the Dharma is the way of understanding and love; and the Sangha is the community that supports our practice. The Three Jewels, triratna, are made of the same elements. Practicing the Five Mindfulness Trainings is a concrete expression of our appreciation and trust in these Three Jewels. Practicing the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to have faith in the path of mindfulness, understanding, and compassion, because the Five Mindfulness Trainings are made of these three elements.

When we were in our mother’s womb, we felt secure—protected from heat, cold, hunger, and other adversities. Although we were not yet aware in the way we are now, we knew somehow that this was a safe place. The moment we were born and came into contact with adversity, we began to cry, and since that time we have yearned for the security of our mother’s womb.

We live in a world that is impermanent and filled with suffering, and we feel insecure. We desire permanence, but everything is changing. We desire an absolute identity, but there are no permanent entities, not even the one we call our “self.” To seek for refuge means, first of all, to look for a place that is safe, secure, and permanent, something we can rely on for a long time. We want a place like Heaven, where a strong, stable figure like God the Father will protect us, and we will not have to worry about anything. But Heaven is in the future.

In Asian literature, some poets expressed the belief that they lived in a safe, happy place before being exiled to Earth, and when they died, they would be able to return to that state of bliss and happiness. Other Asians believed that they were gods in previous lives but, because of mistakes they made, they were exiled on Earth. If they performed meritorious deeds in this life, they believed they would be able to return to that safe place. The wish to take refuge is a universal desire to return to a place where we are safe and secure. In Vietnamese, the words for “to take refuge” are literally, “to go back and rely on.”

But how can we feel safe now? Things are impermanent. If a kernel of corn is not impermanent, it will never grow into an ear of corn. If your daughter is not impermanent, she will never grow up into a beautiful young lady. If dictatorships are not impermanent, there is no hope of replacing them. We need impermanence and we should be happy to say, “Long live impermanence, so that life can be possible.

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