Buddhism courses

Introduction to Buddhism

The Three Jewels

In this six week introduction to Buddhism class we will be exploring what it means to go for refuge to ‘The Three Jewels’.

The fundamental aim of Buddhism is Enlightenment for the sake of all beings. Traditionally Buddhists express this aspiration by ‘Going for Refuge’ to the Buddha, his Dharma (teaching) and the Sangha (spiritual community) or ‘The Three Jewels’.

The Buddha is seen as a ‘Refuge’ not because he will help us to escape life and its difficulties, but because his example and teaching represent practical and reliable responses to our sorrows in the face of life. They can help free us from attachment to ‘false refuges’ — those mundane things we look to for happiness and security, but which are ultimately incapable of providing them.

In seeking to follow the Buddha’s path to Enlightenment, Buddhists try to understand all the teachings that express his wisdom, from the whole of the Buddhist tradition throughout time. These are collectively known as the Dharma, and are revered as the best guide to reality there is.

If we are to practise the Dharma we need the example of others who have done so before us. And we also need the guidance of personal teachers who have a more experienced perspective than our own, as well as the friendship of fellow practitioners. Taken together, all ‘Dharma farers’ of the past and present who offer these kinds of supports are known as the Sangha or spiritual community.

So the defining act of a Buddhist life is to go for Refuge to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha: It is the act by which one becomes a Buddhist, and every day around the world millions of Buddhists chant the Three Refuges, committing themselves to living out these ideals.

Ratnavyuha will be leading most of this course and Vajrajyoti and Akampiya will be special guests on a couple of evenings.

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