The Three Refuges of Buddhist Faith

There is a fundamental formula that is used in the Buddhist tradition to express faith in the tradition itself. It is called the Three Refuges. Some people have said that it functions in Buddhism a little bit like The Lord’s Prayer or some other very common affirmation of faith in others religious traditions.

In English it would sound simply like this: “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha.” The Sangha is the Buddhist community.

These are the three focal points of faith in the Buddhist tradition. People would recite this as part of an ordinary daily ritual. Some people use it as a formula when they want to assert their own Buddhist identity.