In Buddhism or more accurately the followers of the teaching of the Buddha, this is one of the most common and basic yet most profound chanting / prayer:
बुद्धं शरणं गच्छामि |
Buddham Sharanam Gachami (I take refuge in Buddha)
धर्मं शरणं गच्छामि ।
Dhammam Sharanam Gachami (I take refuge in Dhamma)
संघं शरणं गच्छामि ।
Sangham Sharanam Gachami (I take refuge in Sangha)
But this chanting/prayer is often misconstrued as a religious ritual or blind faith but this could not be further from the truth as we read, understand and experience the teaching of the Buddha. In my understanding,
Buddha = The Knower of the truth, the awakened one, the noble one etc found within each of us. We just need to awaken this Buddha within us.
Dhamma = The teaching of the Buddha i.e. the teaching of the truth by the awakened one
Sangha = Group of followers of the Dhamma or teaching of the Buddha.
As I understand it, all this sums up in this wise saying “अपो दीपो भव। Be light unto yourself." You alone are your own refuge, there is no other refuge.
So, I've created this sort music video - Buddham Sharanam Gachami- compiling some quotes related to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, from Dhammapada. Hope you enjoy!
Massive THANKS 🙏🏼 to Hariharan for providing this soundtrack freely available under Creative Commons CCO 1.0 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddham_Saranam_Gacchami_-_Male_Voice,_with_Female_Chorus.oga
And the fundamental teaching of the Buddha is:
- To avoid all evil
- To cultivate good and
- To cleanse one’s mind.
~Dhammapada Verse 183
To helps us follow this fundamental teaching of the Buddha Daily practice of meditation is key. If you are interested in meditation or just want to test it out - feel free to join us. We meditate daily (at 8:30pm UK time) online with friends and family and if you would like to join us we would love to welcome you at www.tinyurl.com/bewithbreath. Just subscribe for FREE.
Or if you want to try it out for yourself here is a beginner's guided meditation (30 minutes):
https://youtu.be/uh7diEofybI
Mind matters most. What we think we become ~ Buddha.
With Peace Love & Joy 🕉❤️😊
Let’s grow together in wisdom through #meditation 🧘🏼♂️🧘🏼♀️