It has been two years since I last posted on this website. Before I share some thoughts about taking refuge, let me bring you up to date. Life has become very busy and interesting. I am working on a PhD in Buddhist Studies at the University of the West in Rosemead, California. In August 2022, Mark and I (along with our fur babies – Cami the cat and Sophie the Rat/Chi) drove cross country from Charleston WV to Los Angeles CA so that I could attend classes in person at UWest during the Fall Semester. We lived in an Air B&B in Rosemead on the border of Monterey Park. At the end of the semester, we returned to Charleston doing the cross country trip again. Then, in August of 2023, I returned to UWest, but this time I went by myself using air travel this time. I ended up living in the UWest dorm and returned home at the end of the semester. Luckily, I had the opportunity to fly back to Charleston four times during the semester. Mark nobly was on pick-up duty as Nolan attended the Charleston Montessori School. I completed my fourth semester of Sanskrit remotely this semester and now I will prepare for my qualifying exams in the Fall.
With all these many activities and studies, I have been able to continue to lead two mindfulness groups, both in-person and online. I am grateful for those who attend and support The Mindfulness Tree Meditation Community – our Sangha.
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But now, I want to reflect about the Buddhist understanding of the Triple Gems and the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity. Trinity Sunday is upon us and during a recent meditation I contemplated these two very distinct ideas.
The Triple Gems, or the Three Jewels of Buddhism, are three acts of Buddhist faith practice. They are taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. In Sanskrit, the word for the Three Jewels is Triratna – Tri means “three” and ratna means “jewel.” The Buddha is the awakened one. The Dharma is the teaching of the Buddha, or in Sanskrit, it literally means “truth”; the Sangha is the traditional community of Buddhist monks and nuns that also includes the laity or “householders.” In Buddhism, taking “refuge” in the Three Jewels is a religious practice. “I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha.” Taking refuge is to find shelter or protection in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. To become a Buddhist, one only needs to recite the words of the refuges. Continue reading “Taking Refuge – A Buddhist/Christian Perspective”