Buddhists are said to "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels (aka the "Three Refuges"). This is often done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.
The general signification of Three Jewels is:
In Vajrayana practice, the refuge tree is often visualized by practitioners (sadhakas), and to aid this interior viewing, the refuge tree is often found depicted on scroll paintings (thangka) or murals.
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In Buddhism, instead of looking for any external saviour, most Buddhists believe one can take refuge in oneself. From the Dhammapada:
160. One truly is the protector of oneself, who else could the protector be? With oneself fully controlled one gains a mastery which is hard to gain.165. By oneself is evil done, by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone, by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend on oneself--no one can purify another.
The Mahaparinibbana sutta states, "For that which I have proclaimed and made known as the Dhamma and the Discipline, that shall be your Master when I am gone."
Faith (saddha/sraddha) is an important element of the Buddha's teachings, in both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions. The Sanskrit word sraddha is translated as faith; the original word has connotations of trust, perseverance, humility and steady effort. In contrast to Western notions of faith, sraddha implies thorough reasoning and accumulated experience.
In the Kalama Sutra the Buddha explicitly argues against simply following authority or tradition, particularly those of religions contemporary to the Buddha's time.. Nevertheless, there remains value for a degree of trusting confidence and belief in Buddhism, primarily in the spiritual attainment and salvation or enlightenment through the wisdom of the Buddha. Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Three Jewels.
| Lay
Buddhist Practices  |
| devotional |
|---|
| Offerings · Bows 3 Refuges · Chanting |
| precepts |
| 5 Precepts · 8
Precepts Bodhisattva vows |
| other |
| Meditation · Giving Supporting Monastics Study · Pilgrimage |
Often, one who takes refuge will make vows as well, typically vows to adhere to the Five Precepts (pañca-sila). Laypeople generally undertake at least one of the five, but traditions differ in how many vows is common to take. The Five Precepts are not given in the form of commands such as "thou shalt not ...", but rather are promises to oneself: "I will (try) ..."
In some schools of Buddhism, serious lay people or aspiring monks take an additional three to five ethical precepts, and some of the five precepts are strengthened. For example, the precept pertaining to sexual misconduct becomes a precept of celibacy.
Sanskrit version:
However, some substitute the above with mention of three refuge in Lotus Sutra which read,
A Tibetan (Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna) version:
According to Atisha in the 11th century Lamp for the Path, and in the subsequent Lamrim tradition as elaborated by Tsongkhapa, one can distinguish several levels of refuge. These purposes are introduced using the concept of the practitioner's 'scope' of aspiration:
Another distinction between different levels of Going for Refuge, given by Sangharakshita in his text Going for Refuge is:
The practice of taking refuge on behalf of young or even unborn children is mentioned[2] in the Majjhima Nikaya, recognized by most scholars as an early text (cf Infant baptism).
   | The Five Precepts (pañca-sila) - The Five Precepts: pañca-sila |
| | Saranagamana - The Khuddakapatha (Khp 1-9) |
| | Abhisanda Sutta - Abhisanda Sutta: Rewards (AN 8.39) |
| | Refuge Vows - Actions for Training from Taking Safe Direction (Refuge) |
| | Going for Refuge and Taking the Precepts - Going for Refuge & Taking the Precepts |
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