The three jewels of Buddhism

Oasis

Once a devotee asked Sri Aurobindo if he believed in God. ‘No,’ replied the Maharishi. “I don’t believe in God. I know God.” Believing, he explained, is accepting what others say. It is a substitute for knowing. You don’t believe that the Sun is the source of heat and light. You know it as a fact. You don’t believe that water is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen. It is proven Science.

For most of us, God is a belief. One could call it a default setting. We accept it without ever giving it much of a thought. The axioms in our belief system are that God is the creator of the Universe, He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. However, at the functioning level, is the strong belief that God is listening to my prayers and He would align His will with my will and provide immunity against misfortunes.

A direct fallout of this belief is that our faith glows and dims, rises and falls with life’s ups and downs. “I have lost faith in God” is a line we often declare or get to hear when life delivers an unexpected blow. “I have been praying sincerely every day. If God has not protected me and my family, why should I continue with my faith?”

That is a fair question, especially when the loss that one has suffered is far too much for human endurance. But again, in time, when favourable events happen or when one has been saved from misfortunes, we rejoice with a spontaneous “Thank God!”, and show our gratitude in the form of offerings at our favoured places of worship.

Spiritual teachers say that the trick to being steadfast in one’s faith is in surrendering; Surrender to God and seek His grace; don’t dwell on the specifics. It calls for the belief that God is listening, will respond favourably and provide grace.

The Buddhist sharanam or refuge is not about surrendering to an external God. When one takes refuge in the three jewels of Buddhism, the necessary inner transformation will happen in our ability to face life situations. The three jewels are the wisdom of the Buddha, who is any person who has attained full enlightenment; Dhamma, the technique for self-transformation and self-liberation; and Sangha, the community of ordained monks who will show the right direction.