Tasha Gordon World Religions Religious Service Paper

My objective in this paper is to explain what the Threefold Refuge of Jodo Shinshu uddhis! is and why they are the foundation of all for!s of uddhis!" The ideals at the core of uddhis! are co!!only #nown as the $Threefold Refuge% which are the uddha& the 'har!a& and the Sangha" (or the purpose of this paper all references to the uddha& the 'har!a& and the Sangha will be associated with Jodo Shinshu uddhis!" )et%s first loo# at each refuge individually and then discover why& together& these three asylu!s for!ed the foundation of Jodo Shinshu uddhis!"

'uring the Jodo Shinshu uddhist service that * attended * learned that it is custo!ary at the beginning of the service for one to wal# to the front of the te!ple and perfor! +sho#o& offering incense to ,!ida uddha" 'ot& a Priest in training who greeted the observers of today%s service explained that osho#o is done by placing your hands together in gassho& which literally !eans -joined.pal!s/ with nenju encircling both hands" The nenju are !editation beads and are worn on your left hand because your left hand represents the world of sa!sara& the wheel of rebirth" The right hand represents the world of awa#ening& the world of nirvana" -*t is through the use of the nenju that the two different worlds of sa!sara and nirvana are seen in their essential +neness/ 0)ahaina1" Proceeding forward with your left foot first& step toward the altar and ta#e a pinch of incense with your right hand then place the incense in the burner" ow showing reverence to ,!ida uddha and recite& 2a!u ,!ida utsu& -* entrust !yself to ,!ida uddha/ three ti!es" This helps you to beco!e enlightened"

Typically& when one uses the ter! - uddha/ they are referring to the historical uddha& Siddhattha Gota!a& who is considered to be the founder& guide& and inspiration for uddhis!" 3owever& uddha is not only a historical figure but also an ideal" uddha !eans& $one who is awa#ened% 0cite1" The path to beco!ing a uddha is not an easy one" 4very apprentice to being a true uddha !ust first beco!e a bodhisattva" * as# the Priest in training& -What is a bodhisattva5/ To which she replies& -6ou7re a bodhisattva& *7! a bodhisattva8 anyone who directs their life to practicing the way of life of a uddha is a bodhisattva/ 0*nterview& 'ot1" She adds to her definition that it7s not enough just to #now the definition of bodhisattva" What7s !ore i!portant is to study the actions of a bodhisattva and then to behave li#e one yourself" 'uring the 'har!a school that followed the service& 'ot explained to the eager !inds sitting in the pews that the !ost basic teachings of uddha are the (our 2oble Truths8 9. the truth of du##ha 0suffering1& : . the origin of du##ha8 Sa!udaya& ; . the cessation of du##ha8 2irodha and& < . the path leading to the cessation of du##ha8 Magga" Many of us wondered& -What does this !ean in plain language5/ 'ot su!s it up with hu!or and a tad bit a grace& -+ne& life suc#s" Two& it suc# because we crave or want things" Three& when you get rid of the craving& your suffering will stop" )astly& the way to #eep life fro! suc#ing is to follow the 4ightfold Path"/

riefly& the 4ightfold Path is a set of ideal behaviors that help one follow the way of the uddha 0 a!!es1" (or !any& following the 4ightfold path is a daily struggle" This is why bodhisattvas are considered teachers& !entors if you will" Their duty is to help others achieve the ulti!ate enlighten!ent" -+ut of co!passion for the world& he shows

the path and !ethod whereby he delivered hi!self fro! suffering and death and achieved !an7s ulti!ate goal" *t is left for !an to follow the path/ 0Pilgri! :==>1" *t is through the second refuge& The 'har!a& that one !ay learn the principles that guide the bodhisattva"

+f all uddhist ter!inology& the word 'har!a re?uires the widest& !ost co!prehensive !eaning" 'har!a& in !ore fa!iliar ter!s& is the teachings& advice and instructions contained in the sutras fro! the Masters of Jodo Shinshu" These are teachings such as the (our 2oble Truths& The 4ightfold Path& and !editation" 'har!a& in Jodo Shinshu& has two !ain focuses" +ne is the teachings of uddha& as expressed in the sutras and the other is the uddhist path& and the goal& which is to reach 2irvana" Jodo Shinshu uddhists believe that salvation depends not on a person%s own efforts but on the grace of ,!ida uddha& or the uddha of infinite light"

y studying the 'har!a and as#ing for the grace of the ,!ida uddha& one can clearly see the path to 2irvana and ai! to follow that path" 'har!a plays an i!portant role in the Threefold Refuge& essentially holding the other two havens together" Studying the uddha%s teachings is i!portant& but to ta#e refuge in the 'har!a is !uch !ore than just accepting his teachings" *t%s placing trust in your belief of uddhis!& trusting your !indfulness& and applying it to your every day life" -'o not accept any of !y words on faith& believing the! just because * said the!" +nly accept what passes the test by proving useful and beneficial in your life/ 0viewonbuddhis!"org1" 'har!a is taught within the Sangha which is the third and final refuge"

, Jodo Shinshu Sangha is uni?ue in uddhis!" Traditionally& the three refuges were& uddha& 'har!a& and the !on#s" ,ntecedent to Jodo Shinshu uddhis!& uddhist teachings were reserved for those who had left their ordinary lives behind and would lead the life of !on#s and nuns" Shinran Shonin& a !on# at Mt" 3iei in @yoto& Japan& abandoned the !onastic way of life after := years of studying to search for his own personal e!ancipation fro! sa!sara" +n his ?uest for enlighten!ent& Shinran encountered a fellow !on# fro! Mt" 3iei and in hi! found a teacher who would guide hi! on his path to personal salvation" Through 3onen%s guidance& Shinran understood that the way to his own spiritual freedo! was not to be attained by his own power& but through ,!ida uddha%s vow& which pro!ised to lead all sentient beings to enlighten!ent" Jodo Shinshu is a uddhist practice that anyone can follow" *t is because of this realiAation that the Jodo Shinshu Sangha !eans !ore than those who wish to follow the way of the uddha and lead a !onastic life" *t is not so!ething so!eone can !erely ac?uire or be8 it is a co!!unal endeavor where each path to enlighten!ent is profoundly individual"

*t is within the Sangha that everyone !ay find their uni?ue path and is para!ount in the Threefold Refuge" -+ne of the things * love about uddhis! is it%s the only religion where it isn%t a religion" We are a path that leads to one centered point of view Wa#e up" e #ind" e present" e genuine" e generous to others" *t%s a path that leads to a better 6+B/ 0*nterview Rev" Jerry 3irano1 * would have to say& personally& the !ost inspiring thing about Jodo Shinshu uddhis! is that everything is personal" *t%s not about judging what others believe and conde!ning people to hell or other for!s of eternal

da!nation for not sharing your beliefs" (ran#ly spea#ing& we%re all da!ned already by our see!ingly un?uenchable.desiring egos& but luc#ily we%re all capable of being saved through !editation and study"

3ow does this tie into the Threefold Refuge5 Si!ple" uddha was a hu!an& despite others regarding hi! as super hu!an& a deity and what have you& he lived a hu!an life& !ade !ista#es but !ost i!portantly he wanted better for hi!self and for others" 3e is at the top of the Threefold Refuge& and rightly so& because he sought a way to end the cyclic wheel of rebirth by ad!itting his hu!an errors and beco!ing enlightened then showing others that sa!e path" The 'har!a is his blessing to the world8 a guide to nirvana for anyone who see#s it" To su! it all up& in order to be free of suffering, we have to confide in and turn to someone who has already attained that freedom or enlightenment, a Buddha. The Buddha shares the Dharma, the teaching which is like the map that shows how to get to your final destination of enlightenment. The Sangha is all of us, fellow companions and believers, on this journey to our final goal of enlightenment.

SourcesC Matthews& Warren" $World Religions% Dth 4dition PJ Pilgri!" $The Meaning of the Word uddha% ,pril :==>" httpCEEwww"para!i"orgEbuddhistanswersE!eaningFofFbuddha"ht!

*nterview with Jerry 3irano& Priest of Jodo Shin Shu uddhist Te!ple& and 'ot hi##huni 0Priest in training1 on Sunday& Septe!ber :G& :=9;"

)ahaina 3ongwanji Mission 0Jodo Shinshu1" Webpage -Jodo Shinshu Practices H Gassho& Raihai I +sho#o/ http://www.lahainahongwanji.com/practices.html a!!es& 'an" Sasana"org -The (our 2oble Truths and the 4ightfold Path/" Web published 9GGJ" httpCEEwww"sasana"orgEsanghaFnoble"sht!l

Kiewonbuddhis!"org" -, Kiew on uddhis!8 the 'har!a/" := January& :=9:" httpCEEviewonbuddhis!"orgEdhar!a"ht!l