Tibetan Buddhism: real meaning of 'refuge'

(Tsem Rinpoche) The real meaning of Buddhist "refuge"

The Buddhist Catechism (Amazon)

[The Pali/Sanskrit word sarana actually means "Going for GUIDANCE," NOT "going for refuge," which is a bad English translation. Early Buddhist reformer Col. Henry Steel Olcott tried to straighten out this misunderstanding more than a century ago in The Buddhist Catechism (sacred-texts.com).

But people still misunderstand and scholar mindlessly repeat the mistake without ever taking a closer look at the word and the potential confusion they are causing.

There is only one real "refuge" in the phenomenal universe, and the historical Buddha called that nirvana. Nirvana is the further shore, the real place of safety beyond rebirth. Everything in samsara is beset by disappointments and dangers on all sides.

Aside from nirvana, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the [Enlightened] Sangha are precious jewels we can resort to for GUIDANCE on the path, for encouragement, inspiration, and clarification.

We ourselves must make the effort. No one saves us but ourselves. No one can, and no one may. Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha merely POINT the way.]

Going for Guidance?

Saranam or "guidance," Col. Olcott explains: "This word has been hitherto very inappropriately and erroneously rendered 'refuge' by European Pali scholars and thoughtlessly so accepted by native Pali scholars," Wijesinha Mudaliyar writes to him to point out.

Neither Pali etymology nor Buddhist philosophy justifies the translation. "Refuge," in the sense of a fleeing back or a place of shelter, is quite foreign to true Buddhism, which insists on every person working out one's own emancipation [liberation, salvation, enlightenment].

The root Sṛ in Sanskrit (sara in Pali) means to move, to go, so that saranam would denote a moving, or one or that which goes before or with another—a Guide or Helper.

I construe the passage thus: Gacchāmi, "I go," Buddham, "to the Buddha," Sâranam, "as my Guide."

The translation of the Ti-saraṇa as the "Three Refuges" has given rise to much misapprehension and has been made by anti-Buddhists a fertile pretext for taunting Buddhists with the absurdity of taking refuge in non-entities and believing in unrealities.

The term "refuge" is more applicable to Nirvaṇa, of which saranam is a synonym.

The [Abbot] Sumangala also calls my attention to the fact that the Pali root sara has the secondary meaning of killing, or that which destroys.

Buddham saranam gacchami [Dhammam saranam gacchami, Sangham saranam gacchami] might thus be rendered "I go to the Buddha, the Doctrine, and the [Noble] Order as the destroyers of my fears—the first by his teaching, the second by its axiomatic truth, the third by their various [enlightened] examples and precepts." Source

• Singalong: The Three Jewels of Buddhism: Mantra and Meaning
• Tsem Rinpoche (video); Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, The Buddhist Catechism (BPS.lk); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Conversion? How to become a Buddhist

(The Pause) How to become a Buddhist: the truth about conversion. [How would a Westerner become an official "Buddhist"? As in any of the Dharmic religions, people convert to Buddhism. Here is a list of prominent converts.

People new to adhering to Buddhism, traditionally, do so at a minimum by Ti-Sarana ("Going for Guidance" to the Three Guides) and adopting the Five Precepts.

This is frequently mistranslated as "Taking Refuge," expressing confidence in the Three Guides, Three Treasures, Three Gems or Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) in front of a monk, nun, or similar representative often of the monastic community (sangha), the  nobles ones (Ariya-Sangha), and the community of practitioners (other Buddhists), in attendance.

Throughout the timeline of Buddhism, conversions of (adoption of Buddhism by) entire countries and regions to Buddhism were frequent, as Buddhism (the Buddha-Dharma) spread throughout Asia. For example, in the 11th century in Burma, King Anoratha converted his entire country to Theravada Buddhism.

At the end of the 12th century, King Jayavarman VII set the stage for conversion of the Khmer people to Theravada Buddhism.

Mass conversions of areas and communities to Buddhism occur up to the present day. For example, there was the modern Dalit Buddhist Movement in India. Indeed, there have been organized mass conversions.

Exceptions to encouraging conversion may occur in some Buddhist movements. In Tibetan Buddhism, for example, the current Dalai Lama discourages active attempts to win converts [35, 36]. In fact, Buddhism is not evangelical and does not promote pushing religion on anyone. However, Buddhism was the first missionary religion, long before Christianity, and sent out "apostles" who taught and won many people over to this path-of-practice and way of being, which many can argue is not even a real "religion." Of course, that depends how we choose to define "religion."

The Truth is true no matter who believes or does not believe, who adheres or does not adhere, who converts or does not convert. The Buddha was a representative of Truth, and many were attracted to him and what he was saying. It was, in fact, the first "world religion," a universal spiritual tradition that accepted all. But the Buddha did not go around trying to make anyone a Buddhist or a follower. He only wanted them to realize what was true, knowing that the Truth sets one free. Have you considered Hinduism? More: Religious conversion

Buddhist meditation, 3 Guides, InsightLA

Why should I sit with a sangha on a Sunday?

On Sunday evenings in West Los Angeles, we now have a reopened InsightLA meditation center.

It's on Olympic near 14th Street in Santa Monica with free street parking. After a guided sit in a spacious, sparkling clean room of wooden floors in good company, there are introductions, a Dharma talk, and then open discussion. It's well attended in person and online via Zoom (by donation).

Who needs a guide to spiritual awakening?

Tonight, the Dharma topic with Eileen Ybarra was Ti-Sarana or the "Three Refuges."

Now, "refuge" is a terrible translation of sarana, which really means "guide" or "guidance." When Early Buddhists and Theravada tradition practitioners today repeat the lines

1. Buddham saranam gacchami. "I go for guidance to the Buddha."
2. Dhamman saranam gacchami. "I go for guidance to the Dharma."
3. Sanghan saranam gacchami. "I go for guidance to the Sangha."

American Col. Henry Steel Olcott stamp

Colonel Henry Olcott, one of the first Americans to formally become a Buddhist more than a century ago, repeated this formula. But he understood that the 19th century translation was very faulty. Monks confirmed that but were not too concerned with what people wanted to call it in English.

Olcott emphasized how misleading it was to use "refuge" when language, linguistic, and Buddhist philosophy all clearly pointed toward "guidance."

• Going for Refuge? NO. Going for Guidance (sarana)

I thought the Buddha would do magic? - No.

Just as the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the Three Jewels or Gems, they are also the Three Guides. They point the way to enlightenment and the real refuge from all suffering, which is nirvana.

Who is the Buddha? It for us at this time is the historical figure of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha Gautama, the "Awakened One," more than 26 centuries ago. He awakened under the bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar (Enlightenment Grove, Vihara, names based on what happened to him there).

No one saves us but ourselves,

No one can and no one may;

We ourselves must walk the Path;

Buddhas only point the Way.

Does Gisele Bundchen have insight? Probably not because her biggest fan did not see fit to teach the world and help us. But Gisele does have an app.

• CONTINUED IN PART II
• Disclosure Project: Dharma Buddhist Meditation
• WhatsApp: chat.WhatsApp.com/D5zsBZlmGel5mR9ctzEknP
• Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen Bradford, Wisdom Quarterly; Eileen Ybarra (guided meditation instruction), Insight Los Angeles (insightla.org)

No person is an island... But be one (sutra)

Maurice O'Connell Walshe (trans.), Attadipa Sutra: "An Island to Oneself" (SN 22.43, PTS: S iii 42, CDB i 882), 2007, title based on the Pali Text Society (Feer) edition; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Let the Dharma be your guide.

"Meditators, be lamps/islands unto yourselves [1], be your own guide/refuge, having no other; let the Dharma be an island and a guide to you, having no other.

"Those who are islands/lamps unto themselves... should investigate to the very heart of things [2]: 'What is the source of disappointment, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair? How do they arise?' [What is their cause and origin?]

"Here, meditators, the uninstructed ordinary worldling [continued as in SN 22.7]. Change occurs in this person's body, and it becomes different. On account of this change and difference, disappointment, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair arise.

• [The same is said with regard to "feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness."]

"But seeing [3] the body's impermanence, its changeability, its wasting away [4], its ceasing, one says, 'Formerly, as now, all bodies were impermanent, disappointing (unsatisfactory), and subject to change.'

"Thus, seeing this as it really is, with deep insight, one abandons all disappointment, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair. One is not worried at their abandonment but, unworried, lives at ease. And thus living at ease one is said to be 'assuredly delivered' [5]."

• [The same is said with regard to "feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness."]

NOTES

1. Atta-dipa: Dipa in Pali means both "island" (Sanskrit dvipa) and "lamp" (Sanskrit dipa), but the meaning "island" is well established here. The "self" referred to is, of course, the unmetaphysical pronoun "oneself": cf. SN 3.8, n. 1.

2. It is necessary to withdraw, to be "an island unto oneself," at least for a time (as any meditator knows), not for "selfish" reasons but precisely in order to make this profound introspective investigation and breakthrough in insight. In another sense, Buddhism would of course agree with John Donne who said, "No man is an island."

3. As Woodward remarks in KS [The Book of the Kindred Sayings, translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, Vol. III, PTS 1924], one would expect to find here the words that he inserts in the text: "The well-taught Ariyan disciple," as in many passages. If one, in fact, sees these things and reflects as is said in the text, one will cease to be an ordinary "worldling." [Instead, there will be a "change of lineage" (gotrabhu), making one a "noble one," someone who has gained at least the first stage of enlightenment that culminates in full enlightenment or arhatship.]

4. Viraga is elsewhere translated as "dispassion" (SN 12.16, n. 2) and also has this meaning.

5. Tadanganibbuto means rather more than Woodward's "one who is rid of all that."

• See "The Last Days of the Buddha" sutra (DN 16)

Maitreya the Future Buddha (sutra)

ExoticIndiaArt.com; sutra (DN 26); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Tibetan thangka painting of Maitreya Buddha as "deity" (exoticindiaart.com)

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Maitreya thangka with brocade (Exotic India Art)

Maitreya (from maitri or "friend," embodiment of "loving-kindness"), the "kindly one," is a bodhisattva ("being striving for enlightenment") according to the sutras or a buddha (supremely enlightened one) according to the tantras.

When he is represented as a buddha, he is shown seated. But the legs, instead of being crossed, are pendent.

He is the only "divinity" (deva) in the Himalayan Buddhist pantheon represented seated in European fashion.

He has the signs of a buddha such as long earlobes, urna (auspicious bump with curled hair between eyebrows), and the ushnisha (cranial bump on the crown of his head, symbolizing wisdom), and he wears the robes of a wandering ascetic.

Maitreya, also known as "the Future Buddha," is now thought to be living on the Tushita plane waiting for the right time to come down to earth. Tushita is one of the celestial deva worlds above Mount Sumeru and is considered the special field of future buddhas.

Tibetans believe that if someone makes statues and thangka paintings of Maitreya Buddha and chants the mantra "The Promise of Maitreya Buddha," that person will be reborn in Tushita after death.

Shown with an extremely sweet and gentle countenance, he holds in his left hand, between thumb and forefinger, the stem of a lotus flower. The bloom of this lotus supports a wheel. This is the Buddhist wheel of spiritual instruction (eight spokes of the Noble Eightfold Path).

His right hand is held in the varada-mudra (Tibetan mchog sbyin gyi phyag rgya) of generosity or boon granting, with the palm facing downwards and the fingers extended.

Surmounting his image is a royal parasol (Tibetan gdugs, suggestive of a vimana-UFO), the traditional symbol of both protection and royalty. More

• Maitreya (Metteyya) Sutra, flawed translation

SUTRA: "The Wheel-Turning Monarch"
Wisdom Quarterly translation (Pali canon, Cakkavati Sutra, based on Ven. Thanissaro, DN 26)

Future Buddha Maitreya, India (Sahil Vohra/flickr)

Another Buddha -- Maitreya (Pali "Metteyya") -- will gain enlightenment, his monastic community (Sangha) numbering in the thousands.

The greatest king of the time, King Sankha, will go forth into the left-home life of a wandering ascetic and attain full enlightenment as a disciple under Metteyya's guidance.

The story, after chronicling the ups and downs of human wealth, life span, and so on concludes with the following lesson on karma and skillful action:

"...Meditators, live with yourself as your island (lamp), yourself as your refuge (safe resort), with nothing else as your refuge. Live with the Dharma as your island, the Dharma as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge.

• [Note 1: May also be translated as: "Live with phenomena (dharmas) as your island, phenomena as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge," where the only real "refuge" (sarana) is nirvana. Other things called "refuge," namely the Three "Refuges" are actually mistranslated and are actually "guides." See Henry Steel Olcott for correct etymology.]

"And how does a meditator [do so]? In one instance a meditator remains focused on the body in and of itself-- ardent, alert, and mindful -- setting aside craving and grief for the world.

"One remains focused on feelings (sensations) in and of themselves... mind in and of itself... mental formations in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- setting aside greed and grief for the world.

"This is how one lives with oneself as an island, as a refuge, with nothing else as a refuge, with the Dharma as an island, the Dharma as refuge, with nothing else as a refuge...." More

NEW: Recovery Dharma: 12 Steps (survey)

Recovery Dharma; Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells, Crystal Q. (eds.)Wisdom Quarterly

Recovery Dharma is reaching out with love, hope, and deep gratitude, excited for the momentum they’re building together. They want to hear from YOU!

Complete this survey, and be a part of building Recovery Dharma!

The Refuge Recovery Annual International Conference (#RefCon5) just wrapped, and hearts are FULL. It was a lively, heartfelt space of community connection, support, and clarification on what this transitional time at Refuge Recovery means for its sangha (spiritual community) at large. They came together, unified as one, and celebrated the Buddhist path of recovery. They also honored the challenges the sangha faces at this moment, all with full heart.

If you attended, THANK YOU for being present and committing to wise speech and wise action while navigating this challenging and hopeful time together. If not, you were held in their hearts in Chicago.

Recovery Dharma and Refuge Recovery World Services at #RefCon5 both had the opportunity to address the community, each sharing the vision driving their efforts and organizational structures.

• Noah Levine’s statement about Refuge Recovery World Services
• Amy Reed’s statement about Recovery Dharma

Recovery Dharma has been described by some in the community as a “break-away” group. And you know what? It is.

They broke away because they had a different vision for Refuge Recovery. They are eager to start something new, a TRULY peer-led, democratically-organized, grassroots movement. They are building an organization from the ground up, a collaborative effort led by members. They are committed to financial integrity and transparency.

They will follow no leader. Rather, they will trust in the wisdom of the Dharma and in each individual’s own potential for recovery and awakening. They do so guided by LOVE and a fierce commitment to support people who want to recover using Buddhist principles and practices.

If anyone is called to the mission and the recovery approach of Recovery Dharma, they are eagerly invited to join these collective efforts by participating in the first survey:

Complete the survey and have your voice heard TODAY.

(Hurry! Deadline to complete the first survey is Wednesday, July 24th @ midnight PST)

This survey is seeking YOUR invaluable input on how to build Recovery Dharma’s mission, governance, and activities. The survey addresses the following key questions:

• How do you want the Board of Directors elected?
• Do you want a democratic process for governance?
• How do you envision meditation fitting into the mission of the organization?
• Which ways would you like the national organization to support local sanghas
• And more!

As Amy Reed, a member of the Recovery Dharma transition circle, said at #RefCon5, “This is a path of empowerment, not powerlessness. And we are empowered now to build something from the ground up, defined by us, as a collective of beautifully flawed and suffering human beings.”

Join Recovery Dharma building a movement from the ground up.

Again, if anyone is called to Recovery Dharma, you are invited to join the conversation and complete the survey today. (Deadline to submit is July 24th @ midnight PST.)

You are invited to join the collective of beautifully flawed and suffering human beings who are building a Buddhist path of recovery within the ethos of democracy, peer-leadership, and grassroots organizing.

Recovery Dharma supports and honors all that may be arising for you during this time, whether it is grief, sadness, joy, excitement, anger, or optimism.

No one is being asked to take a side. Finding the path that’s right for YOU is the MOST important thing. The bottom line is we all deserve a sangha in which we can feel supported and cared for as we do this brave work of recovery and healing. You are encouraged to identify what that means for you.

Thank you for your commitment to recovery and for bravely walking this path.

-- Recovery Dharma Transition Circle

P.S. On Thursday, July 18, starting at 7:00 pm Pacific and 10:00 pm Eastern, RD will be holding the second of two Sangha Town Halls to continue the conversation about Recovery Dharma and this transitional time within Refuge Recovery. It will be an opportunity for everyone to ask questions and discuss the present and future of Recovery Dharma. This call is meant to be informational and supportive and is open to all interested.

Join Zoom Meeting: zoom.us/j/703132748

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Mailing address: Refuge Recovery 2000 NE 42nd St., # 204 Portland, OR 97213-1305

Noah Levine lawsuit resolved

Recovery Dharma (refugerecovery.org); Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A message from the Recovery Dharma transition team. Dear Sangha (Community), This program, like our recovery, is ours. And to shape it, we’ll need to use as much wisdom, caring, and effort as each of us brings to our own recovery. Recovery Dharma is based on the idea that every one of us is our own guide in recovery, with the help and understanding of our wise friends and sangha. We believe that’s what the Dharma teaches us. So it’s with joy that we extend an invitation to join together to develop our shared path, and to embrace the excitement of creating a truly grass-roots organization to support it. As most of you may be aware, the Refuge Recovery Board of Directors and Noah Levine have agreed to settle the Board’s lawsuit and Noah’s counterclaims. There was no “victory.” We all just decided it was time to move forward and let each individual and each group decide for itself what direction to take In the wake of the settlement agreement, a new non-profit has been founded to ensure continued support for our community. We have tentatively named this new movement Recovery Dharma. We believe that the non-profit should focus on providing support to local sanghas who wish to use Buddhist practices and principles for recovery. We believe it should be a grass-roots organization, governed democratically. We believe that each of us must determine our path and practice for ourselves with the support of both local and global communities. There are many teachers in the Buddhist tradition, and many opportunities to learn. Recovery Dharma is based on the idea of choice: that groups and individuals within those groups should be encouraged to explore, to learn, and to understand, according to their own path and their own needs.  We accept and honor the fact that there are multiple teachers and texts that can lead to the wise understanding and effort that are part of this practice. We are here to support that exploration, not to limit it. The ideals, aims, and structure of this organization will be decided by the community itself. Even the name and the logo are intended as placeholders, to be confirmed or changed by the collective will of the membership. Although a transition team has been formed to allow us to incorporate and obtain nonprofit status, one of the first tasks of the new organization will be to elect a board of directors that represents the diversity and breadth of our membership. As a community, we must also define the scope and nature of the new organization’s mission. We are working on a survey to be provided to the community in the coming days that will ensure a collective vision. Elections for board members will take place in the next few months. Once the new board is in place, they will work in tandem with the community to build the infrastructure necessary to support our growing membership. To support a deeper exploration of how Buddhist practices can support our recovery, Recovery Dharma is making available a newly created book, developed by members of our community, that can be used to supplement or replace any that is currently used in your local meetings. This book provides a Buddhist lens on approaching recovery, including a practical roadmap with recommended tools and techniques to support people along the path of recovery. A draft version is currently available for download in PDF and ebook formats for the community to review. After the text is finalized, bound copies will be available by print-on-demand for purchase. All literature created through Recovery Dharma will be released under Creative Commons licenses and the PDF and ebook will always be available for free or by donation for anyone who needs it. All proceeds will go to the organization to support the communities we serve. Community resources that were on the Refuge Recovery website will also be posted to the new website. We encourage individual Recovery Dharma sanghas to use whatever literature they decide will best aid them in understanding and practicing not only recovery, but also the Dharma. This is a new journey for all of us, and one we begin with hope and compassion as well as excitement about the opportunity to form a truly grass-roots organization. We each have a chance—and perhaps a responsibility—to examine our own practice and recovery to see what best supports those parts of our lives. We sincerely hope that Recovery Dharma will be a valuable resource for each of you on that path. We put our trust in the collective wisdom of our sanghas and the integrity of our shared practice. What you can do now: Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more Sign up for our mailing list Watch your email for our survey, or download it from the website, and let us know how you want Recovery Dharma to meet your needs! Let us know if you want your group listed when our website is launched Join the Facebook group Like Recovery Dharma on Facebook Follow @recoverydharma on Instagram    Follow @recoverydharma on Twitter We will be holding informational calls, open to all those interested, in the coming week. Please feel free to join us on Tuesday, July 16 at 8pm Eastern Time or Thursday, July 18 at 7pm Pacific Time. https://zoom.us/j/772208428         +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)         +1 669 900 6833 US (California) Meeting ID: 772 208 428 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ad74FQYypl We wish to communicate our profound caring and respect to everyone in the extended sangha of Buddhist recovery, regardless of whether they choose to affiliate with us or not. May all of us be well, may we all be at ease, and may each of us be supported on our path, no one left out. — The Recovery Dharma transition team: Paul Acciavatti Madalyn Baker Amy Reed Jean Tuller Don Westervelt

RefugeRecovery.org Mailing address: Refuge Recovery 2000 NE 42nd St., # 204 Portland, OR 97213-1305

Buddhists go for GUIDANCE not "refuge"

Col. Henry Steel Olcott, Wijesinha Mudaliyar; Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Going for "Refuge"?

QUESTION: What are the "Three Guides" a Buddhist goes to?

ANSWER: They are disclosed in a formula called Ti-saraṇa* (the "Three Guides"), which is, in fact, "Buddhism" (the Buddha's Dharma):

1. I follow the Buddha as my Guide (Buddham saranam gacchami).
2. I follow the Dharma as my Guide (Dhammam saranam gacchami).
3. I follow the Sangha as my Guide (Sangham saranam gacchami).

Guidance not "refuge"
Sâranam: Mr. Wijesinha Mudaliyar writes Col. Olcott: This word [sarana] has hitherto been very inappropriately and erroneously rendered "refuge" by European Pali language scholars, and thoughtlessly so accepted by native Asian Pali scholars.

Neither Pali etymology nor Buddhistic philosophy justifies this translation. 'Refuge,' in the sense of a fleeing back or a place of shelter, is quite foreign to true [original] Buddhism, which insists on all people working out their own emancipation.

The root sṛ in Sanskrit (sara in Pali) means to move, to go, so that saranam would denote a moving, or one or that which goes, before or with another — a Guide or Helper.

I construe the passage thus:

• Gacchāmi: I go
• Buddham: to the Buddha
• Sâranam: as my guide.

The Awakened One (Buddha), the Path to Awakening (Dharma), the Awakened (Sangha)

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The translation of the Ti-saraṇa as the "Three Refuges" has given rise to much misapprehension, and has been made by anti-Buddhists a fertile pretext for taunting Buddhists with the absurdity of taking "refuge" in non-entities and believing in un-realities.

The term refuge is more applicable to nirvaṇa, of which sâranam is a synonym.
 

Ven. Sumangala [a senior Buddhist monk of long standing] also calls my attention to the fact that the Pali root sara has the secondary meaning of killing, or that which destroys. 

Buddham sâranam gacchâmi might thus be rendered:
 

"I go to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, as the destroyers [allayers] of my fears —

1. the first by his teaching
2. the second by its universal truth
3. the third [the monastic order and, more importantly the noble community of enlightened individuals, many of whom are not monastics] by their various examples and precepts."

Q: What does [a Buddhist] mean when repeating this formula?

A: Buddhists mean that they regard the Buddha as an all-wise teacher, spiritual friend, and exemplar.

The Dharma, or "Doctrine," is the Teaching that contains the essential and immutable principles of justice and truth and the Path that leads to the realization of perfect peace of mind in this very life.

The Sangha, or Community, are living examples and teachers of the excellent Dharma taught by Buddha.

Q: But are not some of the members of this "Monastic Order" intellectually and morally inferior men?

A: Yes. But we are taught by the Buddha that only those who diligently attend to the precepts, discipline their hearts/minds, and strive to attain or have attained one of the eight stages of enlightenment and perfection constitute the Buddhist "community."

• [The Four Stages of Enlightenment are divided into four paths and four fruits. This is explained in The Path of Purification commentarial system as only a thought-moment apart from one another. Alternatively, there is sutra evidence that the eight stages refer to those on the path (to stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship) and those who have consummated each of these paths.]

It is expressly stated that the Order [Sangha] referred to in the "Tisaraṇa" refers to the "Attha Ariya Puggala" — the Eight Noble Ones who have attained one of the eight stages of enlightenment.

The mere wearing of yellow robes, or even monastic ordination, does not of itself make a person pure, wise, or entitled to reverence.
 

Q: Then it is not such unworthy [Buddhist monastics, ascetics, recluses] as they, whom the true Buddhist, would take as their guides?
 

A: Certainly not.

• The Buddhist Catechism, Pt. II (Qs 149-150), pp. 39-40
• "Going for Refuge in the Three Gems" (parami.org)
• The Threefold Refuge: Tisarana (accesstoinsight.org)

The problem with beauty (sutra)

Samuel Beal (trans.) Dhammapada Verses and Their Origin Stories, "33. Advantageous Service" (SuttaCentral.net) edited by Dhr. Seven, Sayalay, Wisdom Quarterly

Beauty? It's only skin deep. But that's pretty deep when you're beautiful (D.M.I.).

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What's the big deal? So what if I'm pretty?

Formerly the Buddha, along with his followers, having gone to the kingdom of Kosambī, took up residence in the monastic compound (vihara) called Mi-yin ("lovely sound"). There he preached the Dharma for the sake of [unseen] "shining ones" (devas) and humans.

At that time the king of the country was Udayana (Yau-tien), whose queen was of remarkably pure character. Having heard that the Buddha had come to his kingdom, the king and the queen, with her attendants, went to visit him. Having paid him the usual  respectful salutations, they sat down and the Buddha, for their sake, began to teach to show the impermanence, disappointment, and vanity of things, from which all our misery comes.

Then he illustrated how heavenly rebirths were the reward of merit (virtue) and hellish ones the result of demerit (unwholesome actions). In consequence of this discourse (sutra) both the king and queen came to accept the Five Precepts of a lay-disciple then returned to the palace.

Now at this time there was a certain Brahmin [caste man] named Kih-sing ("lucky star"), who had a daughter incomparable for beauty, just 16 years old. On her account the Brahmin, for 90 days, exposed a heap of 1,000 gold masurans and challenged anyone to find a single fault in her so that whoever could do so would get the gold. No one was able to, so desiring to find someone fit for her to marry, the Brahmin again challenged anyone to bring a man equal to his daughter in grace. To him he would give his daughter as a wife.

Now, having heard that the family of the shaman Gautama, known as the Shakyians [Scythians], were remarkable for their beauty and therefore fit to possess his daughter, he came to the place where the Buddha was staying. Taking his daughter with him, after the usual salutations, he said:

"My daughter is extremely beautiful, unequalled in womanly grace. You also, Gautama, are remarkable for your beauty. You may, therefore, have my daughter and make her your companion (wife).”

The Buddha's beauty

The beauty of a buddha is incomparable.

The Buddha replied: “Your daughter's beauty, sir, is according to your own estimation, whereas my beauty is according to that of the buddhas. My beauty and a woman's beauty are wholly different. Your daughter's loveliness, sir, is like that of the picture on the jar (vessel), in the middle of which there is only filth and excrement. How can that be considered as 'beauty' that belongs only to the eyes, the ears, the nose, the mouth, the body? It is this 'beauty' of external (outside) form that causes disappointment, overturns families, destroys kinship, sacrifices relationships, kills children. All of these come from this [love of] womanly beauty. But I am a shaman. I stand by myself and would rather endure any calamity than comply with your request. Sir, you may go. I decline your offer.”

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Shhh, what the old king doesn't know won't...

At this the Brahmin, who was very irate, departed. Then, coming into the presence of the king, he expanded on his daughter's beauty and offered her to the king. The king, very pleased at the 16-year-old's appearance, accepted her and made her his second queen.

He weighed her down with presents and jewelry. Nevertheless, his mind began to fill with jealous thoughts on account of the young beauty, and discontentment and dislike grew for his first queen.

This at last persuaded him to send for her on a certain occasion to indulge her fancy (knowing that she would not come). When the king sent for her, the first queen declined to appear on the grounds that she was engaged in some spiritual exercise (fasting) and so for several occasions.

The king, enraged by that, sent a man with a rope to drag her into his presence. When she was brought in, he took his bow and arrow and shot her through the body. But the arrow he discharged returned again towards the king and did her no harm. And so it happened again and again.

At this the king, filled with astonishment (awe and fear), said to her: “By what magic power have you been able to bring this about?”

She replied: “I have but taken guidance (sarana) in the Three Gems and the whole day have been engaged in spiritual observances (fasts), and on this account the World-Honored One [the Buddha] has protected me.”

At this the king exclaimed, “Wonderful!” Dismissing the beautiful, young second queen, he sent her back to her parents and re-established the first queen in undisputed authority. Then, with the queen's attendants, he went to see the Buddha and, after due salutations, he explained to him what had happened, at which the Buddha (after a short sutra) repeated these lines:

“If heaven were to rain down the seven precious items, yet the covetous person would not be satisfied. That person's pleasure would be little but the sorrow much. The wise person, possessed of virtue, although possessing the pleasures of heaven, would wisely let them go and not covet them. One who finds happiness in removing thoughts of lustful enjoyment, this person is the [real] disciple of the Buddha.”

Then the Buddha explained to the king the inevitable result of an unwholesome life: it would redound 10,000 times more miserably on the guilty person, while the reward of spiritual exertions and self-improvement [unselfishness] would certainly be the enjoyment of heaven.

Having spoken, the king and queen and their attendants realized perfect release (enlightenment) and became partakers of the Paths.