THE THREE TREASURES are the foundation of Buddhism: Buddha, the teacher; dharma, the teaching; sangha, the community. Taking refuge in the Three Treasures is the beginning, and the end, of the Buddhist path. The beginning, because from the first you’ll depend on them to guide your way; and the end, because your spiritual transformation will bring you to appreciation of and identification with the Three Treasures at their most profound level.
The Three Treasures balance and support one another. Without the sangha there is no companionship, no encouragement, no support, and nothing to uphold the dharma; without the dharma there is no way of life and no understanding of life to hold the sangha together; and without the Buddha, who teaches the dharma and leads the sangha, there is no path at all. The Three Treasures form an inseparable unit, each treasure depending on the others, each one equal and central.
In theistic traditions,
