Followers of the Buddha take refuge in the Triple Gem: the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. How did the Buddha himself define these three?
Gotama Buddha once defined a Buddha as follows:
"A Buddha is one who, having discriminatory knowledge of the entire field of suffering, understands the arising and passing of all miseries, is completely free from mental defilements, is pristinely pure and will not be reborn."
A Buddha is always known by the following qualities:
He is an exalted one (bhagava) because, having vanquished all craving, aversion and delusion, he lives the life of a liberated person.
He is a conqueror of enemies (araham) because he has annihilated all his enemies, in the form of mental impurities.
Having become fully enlightened by his own rightful efforts (samma sambuddho), he is a perfectly enlightened being.
He is perfect in both wisdom and conduct (vijja-carana-sampanno).
He has gone to the ultimate truth (sugato) because he has become pure in body, speech and mind.
He is the knower of worlds (loka-vidu) because he understands them through personal experience.
He is the unsurpassed charioteer of tameable men (anuttaro purisa-damma-sarathi)
He is teacher of gods and men (sattha deva-manussanam).
Anyone who acquires these qualities will become a Buddha. And whoever is a Buddha will have these qualities.
Buddha is not the name of a person, community, or sect. There are many other appellations of Buddha, expressing his qualities, such as:
Lord (bhagava), conqueror (jina), valorous (mahavira), omniscient (sabbannu), truth-discoverer (tathagata), possessor of ten strengths (dasa-bala), one having exhausted all defilements (khinasavo), highly compassionate (maha-karuniko), free from passion (vita-rago), free from aversion (vita-doso), free from delusion (vita-moho), free from craving (vita-tanho), truth-perceiver (sacca-dassi), nibbana-perceiver (nibbana-dassi), Dhamma-bodied (Dhamma-kayo), and many more.
All these names signify qualities, characteristics—the nature of Buddha. They are, therefore, universal. There is nothing sectarian about these terms.
Such a person teaches Dhamma as follows:
This is sila, this is samadhi, this is panna.
After sila is perfected, samadhi proves highly beneficial.
After samadhi is perfected, panna proves highly beneficial.
After panna is perfected, the mind becomes free from all impurities.
The Six Qualities of Dhamma
Dhamma taught by a Buddha has the following attributes:
It is well-explained (svākkhāto).
It can be experienced in this life (sandiṭṭhiko).
It gives immediate results (akāliko).
It invites people to "come and see" (ehi-passiko).
Every successive step takes one towards the final goal of full liberation (opanayiko).
It is to be experienced by each person of average intelligence, for oneself (paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhīti).
The Teaching: The Dhamma
The qualities of the path given by the Buddha are:
Svakkhato-It is simple and well-defined so that anyone can practice it without any confusion in the mind.
Sanditthiko-Every step is based on the reality of this moment. There is no imagination, no speculation, no auto-suggestion or outer suggestion.
Akaliko-Every step gives wholesome results here and now in this very life. No effort on the path goes waste.
Ehi-passiko-The teaching invites you to come and see for yourself, to experience the truth yourself.
Opaneyyiko-The path is straight; every step on it takes one nearer and nearer to the final goal of liberation from all misery.
Paccattam veditabbo viññuhī'ti-It is for every sensible and rational person from every community to experience the truth within oneself by oneself.
*Ehi passiko (Come and See) One of the Six Qualities of Dhamma -S.N.Goenka
*Buddhanusati ~ Recollection of the Gem in Buddha
'Such indeed is the Blessed One, Exalted One, Omniscient, Perfect in knowledge and conduct. Fully accomplished, Knower of worlds, incomparable Guide for the training of persons. Teacher of gods and men. Enlightened, Blessed.'
*Dhammanusati ~ Recollection of the Gem in Dhamma
'Well-expounded is the Dhamma (Doctrine) by the Blessed One, to be self-realised, with immediate fruit, inviting investigation , leading on (to Nibbana), to be comprehended by the wise, each for oneself.'
*Sanghanusati ~ Recollection of the Gem in Sangha
'Of good conduct is the Order of the disciples of the Blessed One, of upright conduct is the Order of the disciples of the Blessed One, of wise conduct is the Order of the disciples of the Blessed One, of gentle conduct is the Order of the disciples of the Blessed One. This Order of the disciples of the Blessed One - namely, these four Pairs of Persons, the Eight Kinds of Individuals (path & fruit of 4 stages nibbana experience) - is worthy of gifts, is worthy of reverential salutation, is an incomparable field of merit to the world.'
The following articles were first published in the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Journal.
*Part 1/2 ~ Qualities of the Triple Gem
VRI | Vol.10 | No.7 | July 16, 2000
*Part 2/2~ Qualities of the Triple Gem