The Three Jewels (Tam Bảo): Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

The Three Jewels (Tam Bảo) are the center of Buddhist practice, and the main altar of almost every Vietnamese temple is named after them. You do not need to be a Buddhist to learn what they mean or to show respect to them.

The three, in plain words

• Buddha. The awakened one. First this means Siddhartha Gautama, the historical teacher who woke up to the nature of suffering and its end. In a wider sense it points to the possibility of awakening itself. Statues on the altar are reminders, not magic objects. Read how the Buddha awakened.
• Dharma (Pháp). The teaching, and the way of living that follows from it: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, kindness and attention in everyday life. A short introduction is available on this site.
• Sangha (Tăng). The community that practises. In the narrow sense it means monks and nuns; many people also use it for all who practise together, including lay people. Which meaning is meant depends on the speaker and the temple.

A simple way to hold them together: the Buddha shows the road, the Dharma is the road, and the Sangha is the company you walk with.

What "taking refuge" means

Taking refuge (quy y) means choosing the Three Jewels as the place you turn to for guidance: you trust the example of the Buddha, you study and apply the Dharma, and you value the support of the Sangha. In Vietnamese temples it is usually done in a short ceremony led by a monk or nun, who also gives the lay person a Dharma name and may offer the five precepts.

Some things to know:

• Taking refuge is a personal decision. Nobody expects it from a visitor, and visiting does not commit you to anything.
• The ceremony is held with a teacher at a time the temple sets. It is not something to do alone in passing.
• Many practitioners repeat the refuge words as a daily reminder. The usual Vietnamese form is: "Con nguyện quy y Phật, quy y Pháp, quy y Tăng", which means "I take refuge in the Buddha, in the Dharma, in the Sangha".
• Wording and the extra vows differ between temples and traditions. Ask the temple if you are interested.

Where you meet the Three Jewels in a temple

1. At the main altar (ban Tam Bảo). It stands at the center of the main hall. The Buddha is shown in statues, usually in tiers. The Dharma is present in the chanting and in the sutra books. The Sangha is the monks and nuns, and anyone practising in the hall. See the altars.
2. In the three sticks of incense. Many people read the three sticks as turning the mind toward Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Read how to offer incense.
3. In the three bows. Three bows before the main altar are commonly understood to honour the Three Jewels. The form of bowing is described on the respects page.
4. In the three-door gate. Some people link the three doors to the Three Jewels too, though temples explain the gate in different ways. See the temple layout.

Try it as a visitor

1. Stand in front of the main altar, palms together, and let your breathing settle.
2. Look at the statues without hurrying, and think of the teacher they remind you of.
3. Quietly say the three lines, in any language: "I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Sangha." You can say them as an expression of respect even if you do not consider yourself a Buddhist.
4. Bow slightly, then continue your visit.

Note on traditions

This page follows the common Vietnamese Mahayana view. Theravada and other traditions use the same three words with their own emphasis, for example on the monastic Sangha or on Pali chants. Treat what your teacher or temple says as the local rule.

Related pages

• Buddhist basics in plain wordsThe Three Jewels, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Five Precepts, and karma and rebirth, explained briefly and neutrally for people who are new to Buddhism.
• The altars of a Vietnamese templeThe Three Jewels altar, Avalokiteshvara (Quan Thế Âm), the guardians, Duc Ong, Ksitigarbha and the ancestral altar: who is on each, what each is for, regional differences and the usual order of visiting.
• How to bow in a Vietnamese temple: palms together, three bows, prostrationHow to put your palms together, make the slight bow (vái) and the full bow (lạy), why many people bow three times before the Buddha, and what to do if kneeling is hard.
• Buddhist glossary for temple visitorsShort explanations of more than sixty words you meet at a Vietnamese temple or in a Buddhist text: main hall, three-door gate, offering table, bowing, Three Jewels, Bodhisattva, Mahayana and Theravada, uposatha, karma and more.

Keep reading

• Buddhist basics in plain words
• Layout of a Vietnamese Buddhist temple
• The altars of a Vietnamese temple
• How to pay respects at a Vietnamese temple
• Your first visit to a Vietnamese temple, step by step
• How to bow in a Vietnamese temple: palms together, three bows, prostration
• The temple bell, drum and wooden fish: how to ring and when
• Offering incense at the main censer
• Sitting and walking meditation for a first-time visitor
• Chanting in a Vietnamese temple: what is chanted and how to join
• Buddhist calendar
• Uposatha, full-moon and new-moon days
• Buddhist glossary for temple visitors
• Avalokiteshvara (Quan Thế Âm), the one who listens
• The Buddha's awakening
• Two Jataka tales
• Maudgalyayana and filial gratitude
• Visiting a Vietnamese temple: common questions
• Temple etiquette: how to behave in a Vietnamese temple
• Offerings: what flowers, fruit, water, lamps and incense mean
• Festivals in Vietnamese Buddhist temples
• Kisa Gotami and the mustard seed
• The blind men and the elephant
• The poisoned arrow
• Angulimala, the road back
• Ksitigarbha (Địa Tạng) and the vow
• Sujata and the bowl of milk rice
• The life of the Buddha

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