The Mirror of Essential Points

A Letter in Praise of Emptiness From Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang
Dorje to his Mother

I pay homage at the lotus feet of Tenpai Nyima,
Who is inseparable from Dharma-lord Longchen Rabjam
And perceives the natural state of emptiness
Of the ocean-like infinity of things.

A letter of advice I offer to you, my noble mother Paldzom;
Listen for a while without distraction.

Staying here without discomfort,
I am at ease and free from worries
In a state of joyful mind.
Are you well yourself, my dear mother?

Here, in a country to the West,
There are many red and white skinned people.
They have all kinds of magic and sights,
Like flying through the skies
And moving like fish in the waters.
Having mastery over the four elements,
They compete in displaying miracles
With thousands of beautiful colours.

There is an endless amount of spectacles,
Like designs of rainbow colours,
But like a mere dream, when examined,
They are the mistaken perceptions of the mind.

All activities are like the games children play;
If done, they can never be finished.
They are only completed once you let be,
Like castles made of sand.

But this not the whole story;
All the dharmas of Samsara and Nirvana,
Though thought to be permanent, they do not last.
When examined, they are but empty forms,
That appear without existence.
Although unreal, they are thought to be real,
And when examined, they are unreal like an illusion.

Look outward at the appearing objects,
And like the water in a mirage,
They are more delusive than delusion.
Unreal like dreams and illusions,
They resemble reflected moon and rainbows.

Look inward at your own mind!
It seems quite exciting, when not examined.
But when examined, there is nothing to it.
Appearing without being, it is nothing but empty.
It cannot be identified saying, "that's it!"
But is evanescent and elusive like mist.

Look at whatever may appear
In any of the ten directions.
No matter how it may appear,
The thing in itself, its very nature,
Is the sky-like nature of mind,
Beyond the projection and dissolution of thought and
concept.

Everything has the nature of being empty.
When the empty looks at the empty,
Who is there to look at something empty?
What is the use of many classifications,
Such as 'being empty' and 'not empty'
As it is illusion looking at illusion,
And delusion watching delusion?

"The effortless and sky-like nature of the mind,
The vast expanse of insight,
Is the natural state of all things.
In it, whatever you do is all right,
However you rest, you are at ease."
This was said by Jetsun Padmasambhava
And the great siddha Saraha.

All the conceptual designs,
Such as "it's two!" or "it's not two!"
Leave them like the waves on a river,
To be spontaneously freed in themselves.

The great demon of ignorant and discursive thought
Causes one to sink in the ocean of samsara.
But when freed from this discursive thought,
There is the indescribable state, beyond conceptual mind.

Besides mere discursive thoughts,
There is not even the words of 'samsara' and 'nirvana'.
The total calming down of discursive thought
Is the suchness of Dharmadhatu.

Not made complex by complex statements,
This unfabricated single bindu
Is emptiness, the natural state of mind.
So it was said by the Sugata.

The essence of whatever may appear,
When simply left to itself,
Is the unfabricated and uncorrupted view,
The Dharmakaya, emptiness mother.

All discursive thought is emptiness,
And the seer of the emptiness is discursive thought.
Emptiness does not destroy discursive thought,
And discursive thought does not block emptiness.

The fourfold emptiness of the mind itself
Is the ultimate of everything.
Profound and tranquil,free from complexity,
Uncompounded luminous clarity,
Beyond the mind of conceptual ideas:
This is the depth of the mind of the Victorious Ones.

In this there is not a thing to be removed,
Nor anything that needs to be added.
It is merely the immaculate
Looking naturally at itself.

In short, when the mind has fully severed
The fetters of clinging to something,
All the points are condensed therein.
This is the tradition of the supreme being Tilopa
And of the great pandita Naropa.

Such a profound natural state as this,
Is among all the kinds of bliss,
The wisdom of great bliss.
Among all kinds of delight
It is the king of supreme delight.
It is the supreme fourth empowerment
Of all the tantric sections of the secret mantras.
It is the ultimate pointing out instruction.

The view of 'Samsara and Nirvana Inseparable',
And that of Mahamudra, of Dzogchen, the Middle Way and
others,
Have many various titles
But only one essential meaning.
This is the view of Lama Mipham.

As an aid to this king of views
One should begin with Bodhicitta,
And conclude with dedication.

In order to cut off through skilful means
The fixation on an ego, the root of Samsara,
The king of all great methods
Is the unsurpassable Bodhicitta.

The king of perfect dedication
Is the means for increasing the roots of virtue.
This is the special teaching of Shakyamuni
Which is not found with other teachers.

To accomplish complete enlightenment
More than this is not necessary
But less than this will be incomplete.
This swift path of the three excellences,
Called the heart, eye and lifeforce,
Is the approach of Longchen Rabjam.

Emptiness, the wish-fulfilling jewel,
Is unattached generosity.
It is uncorrupted discipline.
It is angerless patience.
It is undeluded exertion.
It is undistracted meditation.
It is the essence of prajna.
It is the meaning in the three yanas.

Emptiness is the natural state of mind.
Emptiness is the non-conceptual refuge.
Emptiness is the Absolute Bodhicitta.
Emptiness is the Vajrasattva of absolving evils.
Emptiness is the Mandala of perfect accumulations.
Emptiness is the Guru Yoga of Dharmakaya.

To abide in the natural state of emptiness
Is the 'calm abiding' of shamatha,
And to perceive it vividly clear
Is the 'clear seeing' of vipasyana.

The view of the perfect Development Stage,
The wisdom of bliss and emptiness in the Completion Stage,
The non-dual Great Perfection,
And the single bindu of Dharmakaya,
All these are included within it.

Emptiness purifies the karmas.
Emptiness dispels the obstructing forces.
Emptiness tames the demons.
Emptiness accomplishes the deities.

The profound state of emptiness
Dries up the ocean of passion.
It crumples the mountain of anger.
It illuminates the darkness of stupidity.
It calms down the gale of jealousy.
It defeats the illness of the kleshas.
It is a friend in sorrow.
It destroys conceit in joy.
It conquers in the battle with Samsara.
It annihilates the four Maras.
It turns the eight worldly dharmas into same taste.
It subdues the demon of ego-fixation.
It turns negative conditions into aids.
It turns bad omens into good luck.
It causes to manifest complete enlightenment.
It gives birth to the Buddhas of the three times.
Emptiness is the Dharmakaya mother.

There is no teaching higher than emptiness.
There is no teaching swifter than emptiness.
There is nn teaching more excellent than emptiness.
There is no teaching more profound than emptiness.

Emptiness is the 'knowing of one that frees all.'
Emptiness is the supreme king of medicines.
Emptiness is the nectar of immortality.
Emptiness is spontaneous accomplishment beyond effort.
Emptiness is enlightenment without exertion.

By meditating emptiness
One feels tremendous compassion
Towards the beings obscured, like ourselves,by the belief in
a self,
And Bodhicitta arises without effort.

All qualities of the path and bhumis
Will appear naturally without any effort,
And one will feel a heartfelt conviction
Regarding the law of the infallible effect of actions.

If one has but one moment of certainty
In this kind of emptiness,
The tight chain of ego-clinging
Will shatter into pieces.
This was said by Aryadeva.

More supreme than offering to the Sugatas and their sons
All the infinite Buddha fields
Filled with the offering of gods and men;
Is to meditate on emptiness.

If the merit of resting evenly
Just for an instant in this natural state
Would take on concrete form,
Space could not contain it.

The peerless Lord of the sages, Sakyamuni,
For the sake of this profound emptiness,
Threw his body into pyres of fire,
Gave away his head and limbs,
And performed hundreds of other austerities.

Although you fill the world with huge mounds
Of presents of gold and jewels,
This profound teaching on emptiness,
Even when searched for, is hard to find.
This is said in the Hundred Thousand Verses of Prajna
Paramita.

To meet this supreme teaching
Is the splendid power of merit
Of many aeons beyond count.

In short, by means of emptiness,
One is, for the benefit of oneself,
Liberated into the expanse of the unborn Dharmakaya,
The manifest complete enlightenment
Of the four Kayas and the five Wisdoms.
The unobstructed display of the Rupakaya
Will then ceaseslessly arise to teach whoever is in need,
By stirring the depths of Samsara for the benefit of others
Through constant, all-pervading spontaneous activity.
In all the Sutras and Tantras this is said
To be the ultimate fruition.

How can someone like me put into words
All the benefits and virtues hereof,
When the Victorious One with his vajra tongue
Cannot exhaust them, even if he speaks for an aeon?

The glorious Lord, the supreme teacher,
Who gives the teachings on emptiness,
Appears in the form of a human being,
But his mind is truly a Buddha.

Without deceit and hypocrisy
Supplicate him from your very heart,
And without needing any other expedient,
You will attain enlightenment in this very life.
This is the manner of the All-Embodying Jewel
Which is taught in the Tantras of the Great Perfection.
When you have this jewel in the palm of your hand,
Do not let it meaninglessly go to waste.

Learning, like the stars in the sky,
Will never come to an end through studies.
What is the use of all the various kinds
Of the many teachings requested and received?
What is the use of any practice which is higher than
emptiness?

Do not aim at having many ascetic costumes,
Such as carrying a staff and wearing braids and animal
skins.
Leaving the elephant back in your house,
Do not go searching for its footprints in the mountains.

Mother, meditate the essence of the mind,
As it is taught by the guru, the Vajra Holder,
And you will have the essence of the essence
Of all the eighty-four thousand teachings.
It is the heart nectar of a billion
Learned and accomplished ones.
It is the ultimate practice.

This advice from the core of the heart
Of the fallen monk Jamyang Dorje,
Is the purest of the pure essence
From the bindu of my life blood.
Therefore keep it in your heart, mother.

These few words of heart advice
Were written in a beautiful country-side,
The city of the spacious blue sky,
Rivaling the splendour of divine realms.

To the devoted Chokyi Nodzom,
My dear and loving mother,
And to my own devoted students,
I offer this letter of advice.




This letter to my students was composed by one who goes by
the name 'Khenpo', the Tibetan Jamyang Dorje, in the
Dordogne Herbal Valley of Great Bliss, in the country of
France beyond the great ocean in the western direction.

May virtue and auspiciousness ensue!



(This was put into English, with the help of Khenpo
Rinpoche, by Erik and Lodro.
Perigueux Retreat 1983

Heart Sutra

Thus have I heard at one time. The Lord was dwelling at Rajagriha, on Vulture-peak mountain, together with a great host of monks and a great host of Bodhisattvas. At that time the Lord was composed in the concentration on the course of dharmas called 'Profound Illumination.' At that time also the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom, looked down; he beheld but five skandhas and that in their own-being they were empty.

Then, through the inspiration of the Buddha, the Venerable Sariputra said to the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva: "How should any child of good family train, who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom?" And the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, spoke to the venerable Sariputra as follows.

"Sariputra, any son or daughter of good family who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom should look upon it thus: he or she beholds but five skandhas and that in their own- being they are empty.

Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is form. Emptiness does not differ from form, and form does not differ from Emptiness.

Likewise feelings, recognitions, volitions and consciousnesses are empty.

So, Sariputra, all dharmas are Emptyness, without differentiating marks; they are not produced or stopped, not defiled and not immaculate, not deficient and not complete.

Therefore, Sariputra, in Emptyness there is no form, no feeling, no recognition, no volitions, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no visible form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no tangible, no mental object; no eye-element, and so forth, up to no mind-element and no mental-consciousness-element; no ignorance and no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, up to no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death; likewise there is no Suffering, Origin, Cessation or Path, no wisdom-knowledge, no attainment and non- attainment.

Therefore Sariputra, because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas abide relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, without obscurations of thought, and so are unafraid.

Transcending perverted views, they attain the end, Nirvana. All Buddhas existing in the three times, relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, fully awaken to the highest, perfect Enlightenment. Therefore one should know that the mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom is the mantra of great knowledge, the highest mantra, the unequalled mantra, the mantra that allays all suffering, the Truth, since it has nothing wrong.

The mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom is proclaimed:

TAD-YATHA; GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA!

In this way, Sariputra, should a Bodhisattva and Mahasattva train in the profound Perfection of Wisdom."

Then the Lord rose from that concentration and commended the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, saying: "Well said, well said, O son of good family!

So it is, O son of good family, so it is. Just as you have taught should the profound Perfection of Wisdom be practiced, and the Tathagatas will rejoice.

Thus spake the Lord.

The Venerable Sariputra, the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, and the whole world, that assembly with devas, human beings, asuras and gandharvas, were delighted and applauded the Lord's speech.

For the full Tibetan interpretation of the Heart Sutra look for the Dalai Lama's book pictured above.

FAQ in Tibetan Buddhism

This was borrowed from Sacred Texts .com. I found it so worthwhile I wanted to share it on here.

The purpose of this FAQ list is to give a basic understanding of a few
key terms or concepts that may be a little confusing for someone new to
this realm. It is not an authoritative text on Tibetan Buddhism.

1. What's 'Vajrayana'?
2. What's Tantra?
3. What are Lineages?
4. What does 'Taking Refuge' mean?
5. What is an 'Empowerment'?
6. What's a 'Root Lama'?
7. Aren't lamas pack animals?
8. What are Yidams?
9. What are those wrathful looking beings?
10. Book list


1. What's Vajrayana?/How is Tibetan Buddhism different?

Vajarayana is the most popular form of Buddhism in Tibet. Vajrayana
(also 'Mantrayana') is the third of the three vehicle of Buddhism. 'Yana'
means 'vehicle'. The teachings of the Buddha are divided into three yanas:
Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Theravada, the most popular school of
Hinayana ('Lesser Vehcile') concentrates on discipline and virtue. Mahayana
concentrates more on altruistic motivations (compassion) and wisdom. All
three incorporate discipline, compassion, and wisdom with different methods
and motivations toward the common aspiration for Enlightenment.
In Vajrayana ('Diamond Vehicle') the central Mahayana themes of
compassion and emptiness are dealt with using symbolic and practical systems
of technique and understanding. There is the belief that enlightenment can
be attained through the proper combination of wisdom and compassion. The
three vehicles should not be considered as in conflict with each other.
Hinaya is a foundation for Mahayana, just as Mahayana is for Vajrayana.

2. What are tantras?/What is Tantra?

The tantras are the root scriptures of Vajrayana. The tantras are
texts ascribed to the Buddha in various manifestations. They usually describe
the mandala, mantra, and practice associated with a particular
deity/enlightened being.
The sexual symbolism of tantric sacred art has led to some
misunderstandings. Tantric texts are not 'pillow books', and their practice
depends on discipline, not indulgence.

3. What are the Lineages?/What is a lineage?

Tibetan Buddhism focuses strongly on maintaining a continuity of
teaching traced back to the Buddha. The relationship of the student to the
teacher (lama or guru) is very important. This continuity is maintained
through practice lineages. The true teachings can only be passed from a
living teacher to a living student, and cannot be learned properly from
books. Sometimes the teachers are in supernatural form.
A lineage isn't exactly a 'school', but the analogy is helpful
for a basic discussion. Tibetan Buddhism has four main lineages:
Gelug(school of the Dalai Lama), Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma. Each of these
has further divisions as well (such as Karma Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu).
Gelug is considered the 'newest', started in 1409 with the foundation of
Gaden Monastery. Popular thought is that Gelugpas emphasize monastic
discipline and intellectual acuity, Kagyupas meditation, Sakyapas scholarly
activity, and Nyingmapas guru devotion. These emphases should not be
exaggerated though; all the schools advocate all forms of dharma activity.

4. What is 'Taking Refuge'?

The Buddhist path begins with taking refuge. We take refuge in the
three jewels, Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha. The Buddha serves as our
example, Dharma as our path, and the Sangha as our companions on the path.
Tibetan Buddhism adds three more refuges(The Three Roots): the
Lama(s), the assemblage of Yidams (meditational deities), and the assemblage
of Guardians (Herukas, Dakinis, Dharmapalas). On the physical level this is
just repeating the vow, but there is an inner level. We are surrendering to
forces within us that are more continuous than our transient ego, and
asserting our commitment to unfreezing these forces to let them work through
us.

5. What is an 'Empowerment'?

Empowerments are further developments of what is started by taking
refuge. These are 'initiations' that help clear away obstacles to our seeing
things as they truly are. The Tibetan word is 'wangkur' (dbang-skur), 'wang'
is something like 'power'. The power is in the sense that the person is
allowing greater scope to more fundamentally wholesome aspects operating
within. Empowerments usually involve a ritual where the lama purifies the
aspirant and introduces him/her to a mandala, which is described fully and
the associated mantra (a chant). The aspirant is encouraged to consider the
mandala as a representation of his/her true nature. The Empowerment of a
deity helps to develop the particular psychological aspect s/he represents.

6. What's a 'Root Lama'?

'Root Lama' refers to a teacher from whom one had received the
empowerments, instructions, and precepts that form the center of one's own
practice.

7. Aren't lamas pack animals?

No, those are llamas. Lama is a title much like the Sanskrit 'Guru'.
Lamas are experienced and learned buddhist teachers. The term is often used
to refer to the members of the 'clergy' in general. The word comes from the
Tibetan 'la' (from 'la na me pa'), "insurpassable", plus 'ma', "mother". The
allusion is to the great compassion a mother has for her child. As sources
for refuge(see #4) they are the Root of Spiritual Blessing, which they bestow
on us in Empowerments(see #5).

8. What are Yidams?

(See #4 on Taking Refuge) Yidams are meditational deities that
symbolize various aspects Enlightenment. As sources for refuge they are the
Root of Accomplishments. Accomplishments refers to the Supreme Accomplishment
of Buddhahood, and ordinary accomplishments of long life, wealth, etc.

9. What are those wrathful looking beings?

Dharma Protectors and Guardians, they are embodiments of Wisdom.
They are usually represented having a terrifying appearance; they are
invoked to eliminate obstacles to the path toward Enlightenment. As sources
of refuge they (along with Dakas and Dakinis) are the Root of All Buddha
Activity.



10. Book List

"Freedom in Exile"
The Dalai Lama's autobiography.

"The Tibetan Book of the Dead"
Various editions/translations are out there of this classic.

"Tantric Mysticism of Tibet"
by John Blofield. Assumes the reader has a bit of background
knowledge of Buddhism. Deals with Tantric Meditation.

"Open Heart, Clear Mind"
by Thubten Chodron, excellent easy-to-read and practical intro
to Tibetan Buddhism.


Some of the information in this faq comes without permission from the
"Tibetan-English Dharma Vocabulary" prepared by Kagyu Thubten Choling,
127 Wappingers Falls, NY.

Words of Truth ~Dalai Lama~

Words of Truth
A Prayer Composed by:
His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso The Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet

Honoring and Invoking the Great Compassion
of the Three Jewels; the Buddha, the Teachings,
and the Spiritual Community

O Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and disciples
of the past, present, and future:
Having remarkable qualities
Immeasurably vast as the ocean,
Who regard all helpless sentient beings
as your only child;
Please consider the truth of my anguished pleas.

Buddha's full teachings dispel the pain of worldly
existence and self-oriented peace;
May they flourish, spreading prosperity and happiness through-
out this spacious world.
O holders of the Dharma: scholars
and realized practitioners;
May your ten fold virtuous practice prevail.

Humble sentient beings, tormented
by sufferings without cease,
Completely suppressed by seemingly endless
and terribly intense, negative deeds,
May all their fears from unbearable war, famine,
and disease be pacified,
To freely breathe an ocean of happiness and well-being.
And particularly the pious people
of the Land of Snows who, through various means,
Are mercilessly destroyed by barbaric hordes
on the side of darkness,
Kindly let the power of your compassion arise,
To quickly stem the flow of blood and tears.

Those unrelentingly cruel ones, objects of compassion,
Maddened by delusion's evils,
wantonly destroy themselves and others;
May they achieve the eye of wisdom,
knowing what must be done and undone,
And abide in the glory of friendship and love.

May this heartfelt wish of total freedom for all Tibet,
Which has been awaited for a long time,
be spontaneously fulfilled;
Please grant soon the good fortune to enjoy
The happy celebration of spiritual with temporal rule.

O protector Chenrezig, compassionately care for
Those who have undergone myriad hardships,
Completely sacrificing their most cherished lives,
bodies, and wealth,
For the sake of the teachings, practitioners,
people, and nation.

Thus, the protector Chenrezig made vast prayers
Before the Buddhas and Bodhisativas
To fully embrace the Land of Snows;
May the good results of these prayers now quickly appear.
By the profound interdependence of emptiness
and relative forms,
Together with the force of great compassion
in the Three Jewels and their Words of Truth,
And through the power
of the infallible law of actions and their fruits,
May this truthful prayer be unhindered
and quickly fulfilled.

This prayer, Words of Truth, was composed by His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, on 29 September 1960 at his temporary headquarters in the Swarg Ashram at Dharamsala, Kangra District, Himachal State, India. This prayer for restoring peace, the Buddhist teachings, and the culture and self-determina-tion of the Tibetan people in their homeland was written after repeated requests by Tibetan government officials along with the unanimous consensus of the monastic and lay communities.

Believe Nothing

OM MANI PADME HUM

Om Mani Padme Hum



This is the most sacred of all Tibetan Buddhist chants. It literally translates to "OM, jewel in the lotus, Hum". It is endlessly translated in depth and it is said that all of the teachings of the buddha are within these six syllables. It is Chenresig's mantra of great compassion, and Chenresig is considered Tibet's protector. It is considered the national mantra of Tibet, and it is the Dalai Lama's mantra. It can be heard all throughout Tibet, and can be seen on prayer flags, prayer wheels and carved in stones.



When you recite this mantra it is imperative to think about it's meaning. The meanings are so vast, and widely interpreted that you can probably study and read about it indefinitely. So, the brief introduction I am giving here is just that.

OM; is made up of three letters, A U M. It is called the source of all sound. These are symbols for the practitioners impure mind, body and speech as well as the pure mind, body and speech of a buddha. The question is can we transform the impure to the pure. All buddhas started out like we do, and along the path became enlightened. It is a gradual process that happens as we follow the path.

The path is laid out by the next four syllables:

MANI; translates to jewel and symbolizes striving for love, compassion and enlightenment. The jewel is enlightenment and with enlightenment comes the end to difficulties, Samsara and brings solitary peace.

PADME; translates to lotus. The lotus is a symbol of wisdom. It grows through the mud but it shows not one speck of the mud it came through. Just as we can grow and achieve wisdom despite what we come through, we don't have to carry those things on or with us. In wisdom, all of the defilements, negativity and ignorance go away. There are so many types of wisdom, the realization of impermanence, non-self...the list can go on and on. We strive for everything the lotus symbolizes.

The last symbol, HUM; translates to I am. I am compassion and wisdom. It indicates indivisibility. It is achieved by an indivisible unity of wisdom and compassion.

The six symbols are also associated with the six realms of existence. You will find as you study, many interpretations of this Mantra. It is up to the practitioner to discover the depth of it's meaning and intrinsic value for them.

Visualization of a buddha or bodhisattva along with this silent mantra is an excellent meditation method. ~Om Mani Padme Hum~

The Three Jewels of Buddhism

The Refuge Prayer

I go for refuge in the Buddha, the enlightened teacher, I commit myself to the enlightenment;

I go for refuge in the Dharma, the spiritual teachings; I commit myself to the truth as it is.

I go for refuge in the Sangha, the spiritual community; I commit myself to living the enlightened life.

These are what's known as the Three Jewels of Buddhism also known as the Three Treasures. The Three Jewels are a core element in all schools of Buddhism. In Buddhism making a commitment to awakening is known as taking refuge. The refuge ceremony is one of the first thing a new Dharma student does. The Buddha made his commitment without a formal ceremony and so can we. It is a matter of making a heartfelt commitment to the way of the truth and seeking refuge in the three jewels.

Taking Refuge in the Buddha: means you are seeking spiritual awakening. Traditionally, the Buddha component means seeking a qualified teacher of the Dharma such as a Guru. Buddha never presented himself as a god or savior, but as a teacher. He is not there to save you, rather it is up to you to save yourself. This jewel, is about committing to seeing things as they really are, truth uncolored by our own beliefs or prejudices. It is making the connection with the Buddha within. It is finding and relying on the purity of our heart and mind and trusting your intuition linked to them.

Taking Refuge in the Dharma: is a commitment to a life that reflects truth. Dharma is the official body of Buddhist teachings but also refers to the teaching the universe provides for us. It is seeing and accepting reality exactly as it is and managing to joyfully live that truth. Living with joy and happiness within the confines of truth is the path to enlightenment. The Three Poisons, are referred to as the main source of unhappiness or feeling dissatisfied.

Poison One: Ignorance of the Truth. In Buddhism ignorance refers to being deluded or confused. Our view of the world and the happenings we live are colored by our own desires. We see things as we would want them to be, we rationalize and create our own stories. Seeking the truth is a process that continues until we reach enlightenment.

Poison Two: Attachment. We can be attached to habits, behaviors, people, things, wealth, ambition, success... the list is endless. Those attachments most times become our lives. Within Poison Two are jealousy and pride. We attach and identify ourselves by our possessions and accomplishments. I am a doctor, lawyer, or I own a Mercedes. It is the tying of our pride to these things that halts the path to enlightenment and awakening. Jealousy of possessions, prestige, 'I want', are all tied to ego as is pride. In order to achieve happiness, releasing our grip on these attachments, letting go of our ego based view of reality is essential.

Poison Three: Aversion. When it comes to this Buddhist teaching, aversion translates most closely to dislike. We usually form aversions from our attachments. We base our happiness on our attachments, and when we are unfulfilled or upset by that person or thing, that disappointment turns to dislike. Dislike can then lead to hatred. It can be the simplest of things like going to buy the pair of shoes you fell in love with and they don't have your size. You become obviously upset and the poisons are at work. On a mid-level, we fight with a loved one and then we feel dislike, we avoid them. It is a pattern or cycle of behavior. Dislike, anger, hatred; one can follow the other. Your are unfulfilled by your work, but you stay because it is in your comfort zone. You dislike your job but dislike change as well. The three poisons work together and are a huge source of pain. It is through the Dharma that we can change this cycle.

Taking Refuge in the Sangha: Sangha translates to community, a community of Buddhists and sentient beings. It is a spiritual community with it's beautiful healing energy. That energy is generated by it's dedication. It is vital that a Sangha work at keeping it's individual energies. Groups have a tendency to become conforming and the lemming or herd mentality takes over. To keep a positive spiritual community means being aware of heart and warmth and that each journey is individual.

Taking refuge in The Three Jewels is the first step in ending the cycle of Samsara and moving closer to achieving enlightenment and Nirvana.