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The Triple Gem, Taking Refuge and More
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The Triple Gem

The Three Jewels are:

bullet The Buddha (i.e.,Awakened One). This is a title for those who attained Awakening similar to the Buddha and helped others to attain it. The Buddha could also be represented as the wisdom that understands Dhamma, and in this regard the Buddha represents the perfect wisdom that sees reality in its true form. Buddhists do not consider Buddha to be a god but honor him for finding the way.

 
bullet The Dhamma (or Dharma): The teachings or law as expounded by the Buddha. Dharma also means the law of nature based on behavior of a person and its consequences to be experienced (action and reaction).

 
bullet The Sangham (or Sangha): This term literally means "group" or "congregation," but when it is used in Buddhist teaching the word refers to one of two very specific kinds of groups: either the community of Buddhist monastics (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis), or the community of people who have attained at least the first stage of Awakening (Sotapanna (Pali) — one who has entered the stream to enlightenment). According to some modern Buddhists, it also consists of laymen and laywomen, the caretakers of the monks, those who have accepted parts of the monastic code but who have not been ordained as monks or nuns.



Taking Refuge

"Taking refuge" makes the difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. It is not even necessary to take refuge in a formal session with a teacher, but it may help to clarify your choice and to remember your commitment.
 
The idea behind taking refuge is that when it starts to rain, we like to find a shelter. The Buddhist shelter from the rain of problems and pain of life is threefold: the Buddha, his teachings (the Dharma) and the spiritual community (the Sangha). Taking refuge means that we have some understanding about suffering, and we have confidence that the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (the "Three Jewels") can help us. We should however not be taking refuge in Buddhism to avoid problems in this very life, there are many non-religious organizations for that, but we should take refuge to avoid future problems.

The Five Precepts ("Commandments")

After seeking refuge one can ask to take the Five Precepts. These are goals for daily living.

  1. The precept to refrain from taking the life of living beings. "killing"
  2. The precept to refrain from taking that which is not freely offered. "stealing"
  3. The precept to refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, exploitation, etc).
  4. The precept to refrain from false speech (lying, gossip).
  5. The precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness. (Can include intoxicating ideas or other things that alter your having a clear thought process)
    6.

The Eight Precepts add:

The extra three precepts are taken at special times by lay persons wishing to take extra dedication. This may be for one special day or for a longer time.

  1. The precept to refrain from eating at the wrong time (only eat from sunrise to noon)
  2. The precept to refrain from dancing, using jewelery, going to shows, watching the wrong television programs, etc.
  3. The precept to refrain from using a high, luxurious bed.
    4.

The Monks Precepts

The monks take a long list of 227 precepts. They renew this twice every month on one of the special Monk Days (Wan Phra). This is done at Wat Thai in Los Angeles. There may not be any monks at Evening Prayers on this night.



Becoming a Buddhist

In order to become a Buddhist, all one has to acknowledge the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. One does this by taking refuge in the Triple Gem of Buddhism. This can be done on your own or with the assistance of a mentor or teacher. This should not be done casually without seriously studying.

You will see many statues and images on the temple grounds. You will see people kneeling and paying respect. These are images of Buddha and others that have reached enlightenment. There are no gods in Buddhism. The people worship the ideal that Buddha reached not the idol that reminds us of it.
Buddhism is not a religion in the sense of most definiitons. There is no god figure. Buddhism is more of a philosopy or way of living. Because of this, being a Buddhist does not prevent you from practicing another other religion. One may be a Buddhist, a Taoist and a Confucionist at the same time. Any religion that does not contradict the Eight Fold Path is allowed or encouraged. Since Buddhism is personal philosophy, all of this is your choice and yours alone.
 
Some religions require that you adhere to its practices and no other. This is not true of Buddhism. This gives rise to some continuation of the old Hindu practices that existed before Buddhism or other local practices that you may observe at the temple.
 
Buddhism is an agnostic religion that does not discuss the existence of a creator God. It neither affirms nor denies the existence of one creator. However, it does include beliefs in many gods. Gods are not considered as supreme beings. They are merely another bodiless state of heavenly existence. This a remnant of the Hindu religion that Buddha himself practiced.

It is not necessary to worship them in order to be a Buddhist. These gods also must practice Buddhism in order to realize ultimate Truth and achieve the ultimate state of being, the Nibbana, which is the cessation of existence.