The formula of going for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha — the act that makes a person a Buddhist.
Tagged: Daily Prayer Prayer Refuge Buddhist
The Text
Buddham saranam gacchami. Dhammam saranam gacchami. Sangham saranam gacchami.
"I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the Dhamma for refuge. I go to the Sangha for refuge." The formula is then repeated a second and a third time.
Historical Context
The Tisarana, the "Three Refuges" or "Triple Gem," is Buddhism's foundational act of commitment: taking refuge in the Buddha as teacher, the Dhamma as his teaching and the truth it describes, and the Sangha as the community that preserves it. The formula is among the oldest strata of Buddhist practice, attested throughout the Pali Canon, and going for refuge — rather than assent to a creed — is the traditional threshold of Buddhist identity across all schools.
Use and Practice
The refuge formula is recited at conversions and ordinations, at the opening of meditation sessions and chanting services, and daily by many lay Buddhists, usually three times and often together with the Five Precepts.
References
- Oxford Bibliographies — Buddhism Subscription
Related Prayers and Creeds
- Five Precepts (Pancasila) — Five voluntary training rules — against killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants — undertaken by lay Buddhists.
- Metta Sutta — The Buddha's discourse on loving-kindness, chanted as a blessing and a protection.
Related Across the Site
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- Amidah Prayer or Creed — The standing prayer at the center of every Jewish prayer service, recited silently while standing.
- Jesus Prayer Prayer or Creed — A short, repeated invocation of Jesus asking for mercy, central to the Orthodox hesychast tradition.
- Metta Sutta Prayer or Creed — The Buddha's discourse on loving-kindness, chanted as a blessing and a protection.
- Nitnem Prayer or Creed — The daily banis (hymns) prescribed for Sikh devotion: morning, evening, and night prayers from the Sikh scriptures.
- Salah Prayer or Creed — The ritual prayer performed five times daily, with fixed postures, recitations, and the closing testimony (Tashahhud).
- The Angelus Prayer or Creed — A thrice-daily prayer of versicles and Hail Marys commemorating the Annunciation and the Incarnation.
- The Lord's Prayer (Our Father) Prayer or Creed — The prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, shared by Christians of every tradition.