Traditionally, the first step in most Buddhist schools requires taking Three Refuges, also called the Three Jewels as the foundation of one’s religious practice. Pali texts employ the Brahmanical motif of the triple refuge, found in the Rigveda 9.97.47, Rigveda 6.46.9 and Chandogya Upanishad 2.22.3–4. Tibetan Buddhism sometimes adds a fourth refuge, in the lama. The three refuges are believed by Buddhists to be protective and a form of reverence.
The Three Jewels are:
- The Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha, the Blessed One, the Awakened with true knowledge
- The Dharma, the precepts, the practice, the Four Truths, the Eightfold Path
- The Sangha, order of monks, the community of Buddha’s disciples
Reciting the three refuges is considered in Buddhism, not as a place to hide, rather a thought that purifies, uplifts and strengthens