Triratna / Three Jewels / Three Refuges

(त्रिरत्न)

Literal Meaning

The three precious jewels

Etymology & Sanskrit Root

'Tri' (three) plus 'ratna' (jewel); refers to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha — the three refuges every practicing Buddhist takes.

Spiritual Insight & Context

Reciting the refuge formula 'I go to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha for refuge' is the traditional act by which one formally becomes a Buddhist.

Where Triratna / Three Jewels / Three Refuges Comes Up

The Three Jewels of Jainism

Ratnatraya

Sumatinatha and the Wisdom in the Womb

Queen Mangala, pregnant with the fifth Tirthankara, settles a bitter custody dispute with a ruse worthy of Solomon, and names her son for the wisdom it revealed.

The Three Jewels

Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

Buddha Puja Vidhi

Offerings, Refuge, and Precepts

Dilwara Temples of Mount Abu

Marble Jain Sanctuaries

The Four Holy Sites of the Buddha

The Mahaparinibbana Sutta names four pilgrimage sites: Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment), Sarnath (first sermon), and Kushinagar (parinirvana).