Buddham Sharanam Gachchami Chant - REFUGE (BUDDHISM)
Refuge is also known as foreskin, scepter, and waterfall. Taking refuge in Buddhism means taking refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha only). That is, taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and the Three-Throne Sangha can protect and protect, also called the Three Jewels Refuge.
The word Quy means here is to return, to return, y is to rely on or follow, according to the intended way, the three refugees are refuge in the Three Jewels. The word Quy is also written to include the radical Bach ("light realm") and the word Anti, "return" and so, it means "to return to the light", "to follow the faith". In the Veda (veda), the word śaraṇa originally means "protection", "relief" or "refugee place", "protection place", which means where sentient beings can come, the body is safe. whole, mindless. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddhism only depends on the power of the Three Jewels to achieve infinite security of mind, free from all suffering. The verse-14 commentary (Dai Chinh 29.76c) says:
"What is the meaning of Refuge? Is salvation; depending on it, people can be free from all suffering forever".
Fans of the Buddha-dharma, when entering the initiation, must perform the ritual of refuge; take a vow to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and take refuge in the Sangha to be officially considered a Buddhist disciple.
The person who has taken refuge can be a Buddhist, a layman, a monk, or a monk.
FAITH
Faith is an important teaching element in both Theravada and Mahayana traditions. In contrast to perceived Western notions of faith, faith in Buddhism arises from accumulated experience and reasoning.
In the Kalama Sutra, the Buddha explicitly argues against simply following authority or tradition, particularly those of religions contemporary to the Buddha's time. There remains value for a degree of trusting confidence and belief in Buddhism, primarily in the spiritual attainment and salvation or enlightenment. Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Three Jewels.
PRECEPTS
Lay followers often undertake five precepts in the same ceremony as they take the refuges. Monks administer the precepts to the laypeople, which creates an additional psychological effect. The five precepts are:
to refrain from killing;
to refrain from stealing;
to refrain from lying;
to refrain from improper sexual conduct;
to refrain from consuming intoxicants.
In Early Buddhist Texts, the role of the five precepts gradually developed. First of all, the precepts were combined with a declaration of faith in the triple gem (the Buddha, his teaching and the monastic community). Next, the precepts developed to become the foundation of lay practice. The precepts were seen as a preliminary condition for the higher development of the mind. At a third stage in the texts, the precepts were actually mentioned together with the triple gem, as though they were part of it. Lastly, the precepts, together with the triple gem, became a required condition for the practice of Buddhism, as lay people had to undergo a formal initiation to become a member of the Buddhist religion. When Buddhism spread to different places and people, the role of the precepts began to vary. In countries in which Buddhism was adopted as the main religion without much competition from other religious disciplines, such as Thailand, the relation between the initiation of a lay person and the five precepts has been virtually non-existent, and the taking of the precepts has become a sort of ritual cleansing ceremony. In such countries, people are presumed Buddhist from birth without much of an initiation. The precepts are often committed to by new followers as part of their installment, yet this is not very pronounced. However, in some countries like China, where Buddhism was not the only religion, the precepts became an ordination ceremony to initiate lay people into the Buddhist religion.
A layperson who upholds the precepts is described in the texts as a "jewel among laymen".
