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.
In the Christian faith, the ecumenical creeds proclaim the Holy Trinity: God as Creator, Jesus as redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the comforter. The Holy Trinity is referred to as the “three in one” – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – which binds the community of faith. The Holy Trinity is a doctrine of the Christian Church. When one recites one of the Creeds, one is stating one’s belief. To enter the Christian faith, one is baptized into this triune faith through water and the word. The Holy Trinity it is a statement of faith and also an experience of faith.
As a Buddhist, I begin my morning meditation by taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. “Buddham sarinam gacchami; Dhamman sarinam gachhami; Sangham sarinam gacchami.” My words affirm that I seek protection and shelter through the teachings of the Buddha and the support of the community.
As a Christian, as I recite the Creeds I affirm my belief in the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, as I pondered this, I realized that there is a distinction between taking refuge and believing. Believing is a mental process. Taking refuge is an experiential process.
A wise professor of mine from UWest cautioned that trying to compare the Buddhist and Judeo-Christian scriptures often results in a false correlation. He said, “Allow the Buddhist Sutras to speak on their own.” I try to do this. However, as an ordained Lutheran Pastor, I cannot help but seek out commonalities and overlapping themes – connections that reflect both my Buddhist and Christian traditions.
Thus, my meditation led me to ponder the Holy Trinity, not as a doctrine of faith, but as a statement of refuge. By doing this, the rigidity of dogmatic belief becomes for me open, spacious and welcoming. What if I were to change my perspective from “statement of faith” to “taking refuge”? I take refuge in God, made known to me as creator and parent. I take refuge in Jesus who taught the way of mercy, peace and love. I take refuge in the Holy Spirit – the breath that “calls, gathers, and enlightens” (as Martin Luther would say in the Small Cathechism) the community, the Sangha.
On this Trinity Sunday weekend, for me the Trinity is not simply a statement of faith or a mystery. Rather, the Holy Trinity is an invitation to take refuge, to enter into an experience of care, love and compassion. For me, I can say I follow the way of Buddha and I follow the way Jesus with equal devotion. Perhaps some would see some cognitive dissonance – but by leaving the intellect go, there is true freedom and perhaps even enlightenment.
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.