Page 185 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols
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C XVIII
ecoming a uddhist
When a person wishes to become a Buddhist, he needs only to go
to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha for refuge. is means that
he will henceforth whole-heartedly, accept the ree Jewels as
his shelter and guiding ideal. Generally the simple ceremony is
done before a monk or, if one is not available, to do it at a shrine
on which there is a Buddha-image, the symbol of one’s spiritual
direction and eventual realisation. Offering flowers, incense
and light, one bows before the image, declares his intention,
and repeats the Refuge prayer three times, making a bow after
each repetition. e prayer may be in Pali, Sanskrit, English or
Chinese, depending on the tradition one chooses to follow.
When the reefold Refuge is done before a monk, one has to
request for the ree Refuges and the Five Precepts. is clearly
shows that one becomes a Buddhist after he has a thorough
understanding of the Dharma and he should not be converted
by others because Dharma is not a matter of belief, it uses no
force, not even persuasion, to make convert. One will not make
a good Buddhist if he is not ready to put to practice the Buddhist
way of life. One should then make three bows to the monk and
see in him as the personification of the Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha. e monk will then recite 3 times, the salutation to the
Buddha:
