The Three Jewels: The Central Ideas of Buddhism

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The Three Jewels are living symbols, objects of commitment and devotion in the life of every Buddhist. The Buddha Jewel: symbol of Enlightenment, particularly as embodied in siddhartha Cautama, the man who discovered the path to human perfection. The Dharma Jewel: symbol of the path itself, the teachings and practices that help each individual towards Enlightenment. The Sangha Jewel: symbol of the fellowship enjoyed by those whose lives are based on the quest for Enlightenment. To understand the Three Jewels is to understand the central ideal and principles of Buddhism. To have some insight into them is to touch its very heart. It is astonishing that, although there have appeared in print numerous accounts of the life and teachings of the Buddha, both popular and scholarly, not a single work of importance has been dedicated to the Three Jewels as such. The present work, originally written as a series of articles for the Oriya Encyclopedia, is designed to remedy this deficiency.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sangharakshita

Sangharakshita was born Dennis Lingwood in South London, in 1925. Largely self-education, he developed an interest in the cultures and philosophies of the East early on, and realized that he was a Buddhist at the age of sixteen. The Second World War took him, as a conscript, to India, where he stayed on to become the Buddhist monk Sangharakshita. After twenty years in India, he returned to England to establish the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) in 1967, and the Western Buddhist Order in 1968. A translator between East and West, between the traditional world and the modern, between principles and practices, Sangharakshita's depth of experience and clear thinking have been appreciated throughout the world.