What is the Triple Gem The Triple Gem is a collective term referring to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

1) Buddha 佛

Buddha is the Sanskrit term for “the en-lightened sage.” After becoming consummate in the task of enlightening oneself as well as other beings, one becomes a Buddha. In general, we refer to Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, as the Buddha.

Sakyamuni Buddha attained supreme enlight-enment under the Bodhi Tree. Having realized the ultimate truth of the universe, he was able to ferry endless sentient beings across the sea of suf-fering. The Buddha has great compassion, boundless wisdom, and supernatural power. He is also Master of the Saha world, and a teacher to both human and celestial beings. Thus the Bud-dha is treasured as a rare and precious gem.

2) Dharma 法

Dharma is the Sanskrit term for “doctrine,” referring to the Tripitaka and 12 Canons. Dur-ing his forty-nine years of teaching, the Buddha gave his teachings in more than 300 gatherings. His disciples Ananda and Mahakasyapa later lead a council to compile his teachings. This compilation was divided into three branches: the sutra, vinayas and sastra, which are widely studied up until today. The Tripitaka reveals the truth of life and the universe, it is a raft that car-ries beings across the sea of suffering, and an ex-cellent remedy to one’s worries and defilements.

3) Sangha 僧

Sangha is the Sanskrit term for harmony, peace, happiness and purity. It generally refers to those who have renounced secular life to join monastic life.

The monastic community follows the Buddha’s footsteps and takes upon itself the responsibility of spreading the Dharma to all beings in order to liberate them from defilement and suffering, and to free them from the cycle of rebirth. Thus they are indeed a precious gem.

【Keywords： 關鍵字】

Sanskrit：梵文／Enlightened：證悟、開悟／Sakyamuni Buddha：釋迦牟尼佛／Bodhi Tree：菩提樹／Saha world：娑婆世界／Tripitaka：三藏／Ananda：阿難／Mahakasyapa：大迦葉／

Council：結集／Sutra：經／Vinaya：律／Sastra: 論