Twenty-one Emanations of Taras

Praises to the Twenty-One Taras is a traditional prayer in Tibetan Buddhism to the female Bodhisattva Tara (also known as Arya Tara, or Jetsun Dolma) 

The prayer is found in all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Each of the twenty-one emanations of Tara has her own name, and a specific mantra with which she is associated, offering protection from various types of fears, harm, and calamities.

The iconographical traditions

The various authors of the commentary tradition often placed a special emphasis on the iconography of each of the 21 forms of Tara, describing her colour, seat, posture, number of faces and arms, implements and hand gesture. The iconographical descriptions in the commentaries may not always correspond to the description of the Taras in the Praises to the 21 Taras. There are three main iconographic traditions that formed in Tibet.

Suryagupta Tradition

Depicting the 21 Taras as differing in all details such as posture, number of heads and hands, colour, implements and hand gestures.

Nagarjuna and Atisha’s tradition

In which the 21 Taras are rarely distinguished except by colour, peaceful or wrathful expression, and the colour of the vessel that each holds in the left hand.

The Nyingma Terma tradition of Jigme Lingpa and Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa

Depicting them as in Nagarjuna and Atisha’s tradition, but of different colours and holding individual emblems on top of the lotus in the left hand, rather than vessels. Jikme Lingpa’s and Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa’s tradition differ only slightly from each other.

The individual of the Twenty-one Emanations of Tara based on Nyingma Terma traditions:

1. Tara, who is swift and courageous for development of Bodhichitta
2. Tara, who is melodious for knowledge and wisdom (i.e. Sarasvati)
3. Tara, who grants supreme merit for the force of merit
4. Tara, who is completely victorious for long life (i.e. Ushnishavijaya)
5. Tara, Kurukulla for magnetising people and wealth
6. Tara, who causes terror for destroying the power of harmful influences (i.e. Vajravidarana)
7. Tara, who is invincible for protection from hailstorms and lightning
8. Tara, triumphant over others for repelling blame
   
9. Tara of the Khadira Forest for protection from the eight great fears. (She is the main Tara, green in colour)
10. Tara, who conquers the three worlds to have power over the world
11. Tara, who bestows wealth for dispelling poverty and granting good fortune
12. Tara, who brings auspiciousness for the auspiciousness of children, fame, rain and so on
13. Tara, who destroys the power of enemies for victory in war
14. Tara, furrowing Brow for protection from spirits
15. Tara, who is perfect peace  for purifying harmful actions
16. Tara, who is ablaze with light for dispelling spells and negative effects
17. Tara of limitless subjugation for protection from robbers, thieves, animals and hunters
18. Tara, majestic as the Great Peahen to protect from and neutralize poison
19. Tara, who is unconquerable and victorious for protection from quarrels and bad dreams (i.e. Sitatapatra)
20. Tara, Dweller in the mountains for protection from epidemics
21. Tara, ‘Rays of Light for restoring the spirits and energies of sick people (i.e. Marichi)

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Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

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Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

Lamp Aspiration Prayer

Lamp Aspiration Prayer (from the Tsok Offering - A Rain of Blessings) 

By The Fourteenth Karmapa, Tekchok Dorje.

Recite the hundred-syllable mantra, oṃ Vajra sattva. Then the assembled Vajra brothers and sisters should hold lamps and recite the following with a single voice:

Om Ah Hung

Dechen dewé kyilkhor dampa di

In this joyous and sacred mandala of great bliss

Dak sok ngo mnn zangpo le drelwe

We are all connected through noble aspirations of the past

Dorje che cham dir tsok tamche kyi

As Vajra brothers and sisters, all gathered for the feast

Ngo jor cho trin zangpo lek sham shing

With gifts, perfectly arranged as offering clouds

lhak sam mo lo gya cher pel che ne

Multiplied and made vast through positive intent and imagination

Sonam yeshe tsok chen rab sak te

To gather perfectly vast stores of merit and wisdom

Monlam di tu ma ong chime du

Through the power of this aspiration, when in the future

Bardo trul nang sam de tongwe tse

We see the delusory appearances of the Bardo, beyond imagining

Ying rik osel ma bu ngo tro ne

May mother and child luminosities of space and awareness unite

Ngang trak jikpa dralwe o lam la

And on the path of light with its terrifying sights and sounds

Chomden o pak me kyi dun ne su

May the Buddha Amitabha, “Boundless Light”, lead the way

Chang sem khor tsok gyatso gyab ne kyor

As a vast retinue of bodhisattvas support us from behind

Jik rung khorwe yang sa lam drol ne

Then, saved from saṃsara's terrible abyss

Dechen pemo kope shying kham su

May we be reborn in the heart of a lotus flower

Peme nyingpor trung shing sangye jel

In the blissful land of Lotus Array, there to meet the Buddhas

Dampe cho tob sa lam tar chin ne

Receive the sacred Dharma, and complete the paths and stages

Dzok sangye tob kha nyam sem chen kun

Once perfectly awakened, may we become great guides

Ring min de ne dewar go nupe

Capable of leading all beings, as infinite as space

Depon chenpor daknyi gyurwar shok

Swiftly, from one blissful state to another

Sherab yeshe salwe dronme di

May this lamp of discerning and primordial wisdom

Lei nyon drip nyi mania Rab sells shying

Banish entirely the darkness of karmic and emotional veils

Yang dak lam gyi nangwa cher gye ne

Greatly enhance the light of the pure, authentic path

Ten de gyalsar gope dronmer shok

And illuminate the way to the kingdom of everlasting bliss

When you have made this prayer of aspiration, offer the lamp to the recipients in front. Compose by the 14th Karmapa at his great seat of Akanistha Tsurphu.

Dana (Donations for our Buddhist research and development) 

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?  

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in the year 2008, we had been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 13 years.  We have exceptionally constrained supports and do not receive subsidized or funding from people in general. 

Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

Lamps Lighting Offering

Offering butter lamps are deeply ingrained in the Tibetan tradition and sometimes as many as 10,000 are offered. Butter lamps may be offered for many occasions. Lighting butter lamps represent relief from suffering and provides you with a guiding light to find enlightenment.

The butter lamps help to focus the mind and aid meditation. According to the Root tantra of Cakrasaṃvara Tantra, "If you wish for sublime realization, offer hundreds of lights". The Pilgrims also supply lamp oil to gain merit. Externally, the lights are seen to banish darkness.

What does butter lamp symbolize? 

Light is the source of goodness and the ultimate reality, and it accompanies transcendence into the Nirvana of Buddhist doctrine. It is the sun, and it is the avenger of evil forces and darkness. Light is knowledge. Purity and morality are connected terms as well.

Butter lamps are a conspicuous feature of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout the Himalayas. Each morning Tibetans offer a lighted butter lamp, representing the illumination of wisdom, along with seven bowls containing pure water before the images on their household shrine.

Why do we offer light to Buddha and enlightened beings?
The act further honors the Triple Gem (the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha), deepening one's commitment to the Buddha's path. Material offerings might be imbued with the following symbology: the lighting of a candle or an oil lamp represents the light of wisdom illuminating the darkness of ignorance.

The tradition of offering lamps lighting

Since Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment 2,500 years ago and dispelled the darkness of ignorance that obscures the mind’s true nature, lamp offerings in Buddhist practices have symbolized his realization. Each lamp offering celebrates the Buddha’s enlightenment and thus is associated with great good fortune.

For Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, a lamp offering also carries the wish to attain Buddhahood and the aspiration to recognize the clear light at the time of death, thereby experiencing liberation in that moment. In this way lamp offerings are associated with transitions in one’s life. Lamp offerings are best made before consecrated representations of fully awakened wisdom, loving-kindness, and compassion.

The right motivation 

Because of the association with great good fortune, lamp offerings are made for any individual or family life event that is celebrated, such as the birth of a child, the marriage of a couple, the graduation of a son or daughter, the birthday of a friend, and the anniversary of one’s parents. Lamp offerings may also be made in difficult times or uncertain transitions.

The gift of light and the accompanying prayers help to bring about less suffering and greater happiness in times of illness, loss, uncertainty, and death. Lamps may be offered for a parent who is facing an operation, for a friend changing careers, for a student facing a difficult exam, and for a family member experiencing extreme stress. At the time of someone’s death, it is traditional to offer a Bardo lamp for 49 days.

When we make light offerings, just as when we engage in any other virtuous activity, we begin by engendering the correct motivation. Therefore, we pause before we start our offerings to recall the vast attitude of bodhicitta. To inspire you, here we include a beautiful aspiration prayer by Mipham Rinpoche. 

Mipham Rinpoche

Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso, or Mipham Jamyang Namgyal was born in 1846 and pass away in 1912. Mipham Jamyang was a very influential philosopher and polymath of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote over 32 volumes on topics such as painting, poetics, sculpture, alchemy, medicine, logic, philosophy and tantra.

Lamp Aspiration by Mipham Rinpoche

• This illuminating lamp of original pure awareness
• I offer to the mandala deities of Vidyadhara Padmakara.
• May all beings, my mothers, wherever awareness pervades, attain the Dharmakaya level of aware emptiness.

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?  

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in the year 2008, we had been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 13 years.  We have exceptionally constrained supports and do not receive subsidized or funding from people in general. 

Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

Dedication 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

Om Ah Hung - The Mantra of Inner Purification and Divination

The syllables OM AH HUNG / OM AH HUM has outer, inner, and "secret" meanings. At each of these levels, however, OM stands for the body, AH for the speech, and HUNG (HUM) for the mind. They represent the transformative blessings of the body, speech, and mind of all the Buddhas. Externally OM purifies all the negative actions committed through your body, AH through your speech, and HUNG (HUM) through your mind. 

Om Ah Hung(Hum) is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist mantra used to purify the mind, speech, and heart. This guided practice lets you quiet the thinking mind and go beyond it, using a silent mantra meditation. This is an excellent daily exercise - be it morning or evening.

Mantras are sounds and phrases that can help us concentrate our minds. We can use mantras  as a way to concentrate on a given intention. This mantra can be seen as a means of helping us to focus our intentions to clarify, or purify, our body, speech, and mind. 

We can regard ourselves  while we chant as asking our own being, the parts of us that put up blocks and barricades to real contentment, to let our better parts, our pure, good intentions, get stronger, shine through, and help us let go.

Chanting of mantras brings peace in your mind. When you recite mantras your mind releases the stress and your body will automatically start to relax. Mantras are positive words or phrases. When you chant mantras your mind releases the positive energy that decreases the negative thoughts or stress.

The Mantra of Om Ah Hung (Hum)

OM stands for the body, AH for the speech, and HUNG (HUM) for the mind. They represent the possibility of transformative blessings of the body, speech, and mind of all the Buddhas— past, present, and future.

In chanting OM we are asking ourselves to purify, to release all guilt and shame, of all the negative actions committed through our body, and we commit to an intention to do better in the future. When chanting Om, all knowledge is being drawn into the body and mind. The entire universe gathers within the field of Om. 

In chanting AH we are asking ourselves to purify, to release all guilt and shame, of all the negative actions committed through our speech, and we commit to an intention to do better in the future. With Ah the energy of the universe is transformed into a still and open realm, enabling engagement with all appropriate communication processes. Ah symbolized the potential of being.

In chanting HUNG (HUM) we are asking ourselves to purify, to release all guilt and shame of all the negative actions committed through our mind, and we commit to an intention to do better in the future. With Hung (Hum)  the enlightened energy flows back into, to spread its benefits in all directions. With Hum enlightened energy is embodied.

The recitation of the divine mantra with mala beads

The word mala means "garland" or "rosary" in Sanskrit. A mala consists of 108 or 27 beads. Buddha recommended the mantra practice as a path to enlightenment for ordinary people. Counting mantra with a mala engages the hand (body), the voice (speech) and the mind by visualizing the deity. Hold the mala gently and with respect. Start counting with the first bead after the 'guru' bead. 

Count a bead for each completed recitation. When you complete either 108 or 4x27 recitations, do not pass over the 'guru' bead. Instead, flip the mala around 180 degrees, and keep going the same direction. In closing you may like to dedicate merit to a specific person or group of people and all sentient beings.

How to bless the food with Om Ah Hung(Hum)

Blessing the food, you recite OM AH HUNG (HUM) and visualize all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas blessing the food with the qualities of holy body, speech and mind. This is absorbed into the food where the food is. It is all absorbed into the food.Then recite OM AH HUNG (HUM)

Visualize that then every grain, and part of the food is a blue HUNG and into that numberless buddhas’ and bodhisattvas’ holy body, speech and mind all absorb into that. Then do that quite a number of malas of the mantra (OM AH HUNG/OM AH HUM) the more you do, the better. The HUNG become the grains or food particles.

Then make a prayer to the merit field, Medicine Buddha, Tara and Chenrezig (but particularly Medicine Buddha) and pray that all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas bless the food and that there never comes from it any side effects; it immediately purifies, the minute the food goes inside the mouth, it immediately purifies all the negative karmas collected from beginningless rebirths, not only that envy, but all diseases and spirit harms are purified. 

The minute the food goes inside the mouth, it immediately purifies all the negative karmas collected from beginningless rebirths, not only that envy, but all diseases and spirit harms are purified. Also, pray that all realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment are actualized, all the realizations are generated, especially bodhichitta, and it brings to all sentient beings perfect peace and happiness in this world. Then all the wishes of happiness and all successes – according to holy Dharma – are immediately received. All the wishes up to enlightenment are actualized.

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?  

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in the year 2008, we had been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 13 years.  We have exceptionally constrained supports and do not receive subsidized or funding from people in general. 

Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.    

White Tara Long Life Prayer And Blessings

White Tara long life Mantra

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayuh Punya Jnana Pustim Kuru Svaha.

• Om - Representing the union of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of yoga. 
• Tare – This syllable shows that Mother Tara liberates sentient beings from samsara.
• Tuttare – Liberates you from the eight fears related to the external dangers. However, the main dangers come from attachment, ignorance, anger, pride, miserliness, jealousy, doubt and wrong views.
• Ture – This syllable liberates you from the disease.
• Mama - Mine, means that I would like to possess the following qualities.
• Ayuh - Long life
• Punya  - Merit that comes form living life ethically. 
• Jnana - Wisdom 
• Pustim - Abundance” or ”an increase in wealth.
• Kuru - Do so! do it now!
• Svaha - Hail, or may blessings be upon 

This is a beautiful layered mantra calling on White Tara for her Divine Love, compassion, wisdom and protection.The White Tara (Sanskrit: Sitatara; Tibetan: Sgrol-dkar) She symbolizes purity and is often represented standing at the right hand of her consort, Avalokiteshvara, or seated with legs crossed, holding a full-blown lotus. She is generally shown with a third eye.

Tara, Tibetan Sgrol-MA, Buddhist saviour-goddess with numerous forms, widely popular in Nepal, Tibet, and Mongolia. She is the feminine counterpart of the Bodhisattva (“Buddha-to-be”) Avalokiteshvara. According to popular belief, she came into existence from a tear of Avalokiteshvara, which fell to the ground and formed a lake.

Out of its waters rose up a lotus, which, on opening, revealed the goddess. Like Avalokiteshvara, she is a compassionate, succoring deity who helps men “cross to the other shore.” She is the protectress of navigation and earthly travel, as well as of spiritual travel along the path to enlightenment.

White Tara is the female Bodhisattva of compassionate activity, the supreme mother and collective manifestation of the enlightened activity of all the Buddhas. She is said to see all suffering and respond to requests for help. Her yogic method promotes health and extending one's lifespan.

White Tara is a Bodhisattva (one who has pledged to put the suffering of others before her own release from suffering) who encompasses the characteristics of all Buddha’s past, present, and future.White Tara is known by Tibetan Buddhists as The Swift Protectress because Tara acts quickly to protect the mind from the delusions and snares of Samsara. She is also known as Samaya Tara, translating as ”Vow Tara.”

You can watch and listen to our  White Tara on Youtube channel now

This refers to Tara’s vow to save all sentient beings. Occasionally, White Tara is called “the Mother of all Buddhas”, because She represents the perfect embodiment of graceful power, purity, and wisdom. The main characteristic of Arya Tara is that she is a Buddha who in ancient times promised to always be born in the pure form of a female body in order to help sentient beings reach enlightenment.

She is linked with the Padma family of Buddha Amitabha, who in graphical representations appears in the form of Amitayus and sits in Her headdress, or above Her head. Additionally, just as white is considered to be the supreme color in many mystic traditions, so is White Tara considered the most powerful of all Taras because it embodies them all.

She became a very popular Vajrayana deity with the rise of Tantra in 8th century Palau and, with the movement of Indian Buddhism into Tibet through Padmasambhava, the worship and potent practices of Tara became incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism as well.

White Tara is seated in the more meditative diamond lotus position, with both legs folded under her, and her feet facing skyward. White Tara has 7 eyes — with an eye in her forehead, and one on each hand and foot — symbolizing her compassionate vigilance to see all the suffering of the world.

Her left hand is in the protective mudra and her right in the wish-granting mudra. In her left hand, she usually holds a stem of the Utpala lotus flower with three blossoms. One blossom is represented as a seed, a second as ready to bloom, and the third in full bloom. 

These represent the Buddhas of the past, future and the present. Often, a small image of Amitabha, a Buddha is known for longevity, is portrayed as seated in White Tara’s headdress or slightly above her head.

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?  

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in the year 2008, we had been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 13 years.  We have exceptionally constrained supports and do not receive subsidized or funding from people in general. 

Please help us and to develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you, but to all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us to enhance our work and to accomplish for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

The Three Jewels

“He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Teaching and his Order, penetrates with transcendental wisdom the Four Noble Truths — suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering.  This indeed is the safe refuge, this the refuge supreme. Having gone to such a refuge, one is released from all suffering. ~ Dhammapada 190-192” 

The “Three Treasures” of the Buddhist tradition are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Throughout the Buddhist world, Buddhists have these Three Treasures in common. To be a Buddhist means taking refuge in the Three Treasures.

What do the 3 jewels represent in Buddhism?

The Three Jewels (also called the Triratna) are the three essential supporting components of Buddhism. They guide and give refuge (safety and comfort) to Buddhists.

Buddhists take refuge in three different expressions of awakened mind: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Each of these is a precious and necessary element of the Buddhist path, and so they are called the three jewels. 

Buddha: The Teacher

This refers, first, to the historical Buddha, the original teacher. He was not a god but a human being like us, and his example shows us that we too can follow the path to enlightenment. More broadly, the Buddha principle refers to all teachers and enlightened beings who inspire and guide us.

Dharma: The Teachings

The Buddhist Dharma starts with the fundamental truths that the Buddha himself taught—the four noble truths, the three marks of existence, the eightfold path, etc.—and includes the vast body of Buddhist teachings that have been developed in the 2,600 years since then. It’s worth noting that the Sanskrit word Dharma also means a thing or object in the conventional sense. In either case, the word denotes a basic law or truth. of reality.

Sangha: The Community

The term Sangha has traditionally referred to monastics and arhats in whom lay practitioners take refuge. This has changed in the West, where Sangha has come to mean the community of Buddhist practitioners generally, both monastic and lay. Buddhists here also use the word to describe a specific community or group, and you will often hear people talk about “my Sangha,” meaning the Buddhist community to which they belong.

Why is the Buddha Jewel important?

Since Buddha is believed to have been the first man to truly understand wisdom and the way to enlightenment, this jewel also signifies the fulfillment of enlightenment. Therefore, when a Buddhist claims to take refuge in the Buddha, he's also saying that enlightenment, in itself, is his refuge.

This is our Youtube Buddhist channels: The Tibetan Refuge Prayers to the Three Jewels

How do I become Buddhist?

Anyone can become a Buddhist. You will need to in the Three Jewels or Triple Gem (and follow a ceremony during which you take a vow to uphold the Five Precepts (to not kill, not steal, not commit sexual misconduct, refrain from false speech and not take intoxicants that lessen your awareness).

What is the Buddhist refuge prayer?

I take refuge in the Buddha, the incomparably honoured one; I take refuge in the Dharma, honourable for its purity; I take refuge in the Sangha, honourable in its harmonious life.

What taking refuge is not

The idea of taking refuge can create some confusion initially, even misconceptions that run precisely opposite to the deeper meaning of this practice.Taking refuge does not mean handing responsibility over to some higher being. When we take refuge in the Buddha, we don’t think that Siddhartha Gautama is going to swoop in from heaven and solve all of our problems.

In fact, we are taking refuge in our own enlightened potential. This actually means accepting a much higher responsibility, since we recognize what we are capable of becoming and commit to reach nothing short of that. It is a reminder to seek our own greatest possibility. Taking refuge also does not mean that nothing that happens in your life matters, because you only care about the absolute.

On the contrary, when we understand the relationship between the ultimate reality and the conventional world, we realize that everything matters so much more.Finally, taking refuge does not mean we only care about some limited community of spiritual people, as if beings at a lower level of consciousness aren’t worth our attention.

It is actually a gesture towards recognizing a universal Sangha, the capacity of every single being to act as our greatest teacher – if we are only willing to listen to what they have to teach us.

How can taking refuge become a part of my life?

There are many ways to bring into your life this sense of surrender and trust in the ultimate  realiy, in the form of the Three Jewels. You can take refuge in the Three Jewels in a formal way as part of a ceremony, where you also commit to following the Five Lay Precepts: no killing, no stealing, no telling lies, no sensuous misconduct and no consuming intoxicants.This ritual, which must be led by a qualified teacher, is actually the way to become a Buddhist “officially.”

In your daily life, you can begin your meditations by invoking the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, feeling reverence and asking for the support of what they represent.And as you go about your life, take refuge in your higher wisdom as much as possible. Remember why you are here, what you are and what you can become.

Practicing Buddhism or meditation is for us to be serene and happy, understanding and loving. This way we work for the peace and happiness of our family and our society. If we look closely, the Three Gems are actually one. The other two gems always exist in each gem. In Buddha, there is Buddhahood, there is the Buddha body. Within, Buddha there is the Dharma body because without the Dharma body, he could not have become a Buddha. In the Buddha there is the Sangha body because he had breakfast with the Bodhi tree, with the other trees, and birds and the environment.

Without you, the Dharma cannot be practiced. It has to be practiced by someone. Without each of you, the Sangha cannot be. That is why when we say, “I take refuge in the Buddha,” we also hear, “The Buddha takes refuge in me.” “I take refuge in the Dharma. The Dharma takes refuge in me. I take refuge in the Sangha. The Sangha takes refuge in me.”

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Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

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