Taking refuge
The three refuges of
every Buddhist life
ສາມທີ່ພຶ່ງຂອງທຸກຊີວິດທີ່ເປັນພຸດທະ
To become a Buddhist — formally or informally — means to take refuge in the
Three Jewels (Tiratana · ໄຕລະດັດ): the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.
Taking refuge does not mean hiding from the world. It means choosing these three as one’s
guide, one’s truth, and one’s community on the path toward liberation.
“
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
ຂ້ານ້ອຍ ເຖິງ ພຣະພຸດທະ ເປັນທີ່ພຶ່ງ. ຂ້ານ້ອຍ ເຖິງ ພຣະທຳ ເປັນທີ່ພຶ່ງ. ຂ້ານ້ອຍ ເຖິງ ພຣະສົງ ເປັນທີ່ພຶ່ງ.
— The Three Refuges, recited in Pāli at every Buddhist ceremony worldwide
First Jewel
The Buddha — ພຣະພຸດ
ພຣະພຸດທະເຈົ້າ — ຜູ້ຕຣັດຮູ້
Taking refuge in the Buddha means taking the historical Siddhartha Gautama as one’s supreme teacher and guide. It also means taking refuge in the principle of Buddhahood itself — the possibility of awakening that exists within all beings. In Lao Buddhist temples, the central Buddha image is the physical focal point of this refuge. Every bow, every offering of incense and flowers is an expression of gratitude and reverence for the one who found the path and shared it.
Second Jewel
The Dhamma — ພຣະທຳ
ພຣະທຳ — ຄຳສອນ ແລະ ຄວາມຈິງ
Dhamma (Sanskrit: Dharma) has two interrelated meanings. First, it is the teaching — everything the Buddha taught, preserved in the Pāli Canon (Tipiṭaka) and transmitted across generations by monks and teachers. Second, it is the truth itself — the actual nature of reality as it is, whether or not a Buddha has arisen to describe it. Taking refuge in the Dhamma means making the teachings one’s guide for living and the truth one’s deepest commitment.
Third Jewel
The Sangha — ພຣະສົງ
ພຣະສົງ — ຊຸມຊົນຂອງຜູ້ປະຕິບັດ
Sangha means community. In its most formal sense it refers to the community of ordained monks (bhikkhu) and nuns — those who have dedicated their lives completely to the path. In a broader sense it includes all sincere Buddhist practitioners. The Sangha preserves and transmits the Dhamma across generations. In Lao communities, the monks of the local Wat are the living presence of the Sangha — supported by the lay community through dana (generosity) in a mutually sustaining relationship that has endured for centuries.
🛕 The Three Jewels in Lao Buddhist daily life
In every Lao Buddhist ceremony — from a simple morning offering to a full Baci blessing — the Three Refuges are recited three times in Pāli, followed by the Five Precepts. Children learn this recitation before they learn to read. It is the first thing a new Buddhist says, and the last thing recited at a monk’s funeral. The three-times repetition signifies sincere, wholehearted commitment — not mere words, but a direction for one’s entire life.
