I am here to learn from the World Wide!
To take a part in sharing Good Spirit!
To be friendship to all beings with Compassion!
To walk with all beings in the steps of Peace!
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Like a beautiful flower full of color but without scent are the fair words of him who himself does not act accordingly. The scent of flowers does not travel against the wind; but the fragrance of good people travels even against the wind.
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THE GIFT FOR ALL FRIENDS!
THE THREE REFUGE
(The Triple Gem)

In order to become a Buddhist it is not necessary to go through any set ceremony or any or any form of "baptism" or to shave one's head or adopt any special type of clothing. The followers of some religions require the male members to wear beards and dress their hair in a certain style. Still other religions require their followers to wear colored marks on their forehead and dress in a distinctive way. We have none of this in Buddhism. The only real way to be a Buddhist is to know Lord Buddha's teaching and to follow it. But, as a rule, most people who decide to follow the Buddha's teaching like to have some sort of simple ceremony to indicate that they have made this important decision.

The ceremony we usually employ is known as "taking the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts." This texts is about the Three Refuges and what they mean to us. It is not important whether the tittle ceremony is all in Pali, or Sanskrit or English. What is in the heart is the important thing. There is a very deep meaning in the refuges and they can be explained in several ways, but each of these several ways only adds to the meaning and makes them have more value for us. Here is the commonest translation into English:
I TAKE MY REFUGE IN THE BUDDHA
I TAKE MY REFUGE IN THE DHAMMA
I TAKE MY REFUGE IN THE SONGHA

but we find that these refuges mean a lot more to us if we think about this translation:
I GO FOR GUIDANCE TO THE PERFECTLY ENLIGHTENED ONE
I GO FOR GUIDANCE TO HIS HOLY TEACHINGS
I GO FOR GUIDANCE TO HIS HOLY ORDER OF DISCIPLES.

Still an other way of adding deep meaning to the refuge is to think of them in this way:
I FIND THE TRUTH IN LORD BUDDHA
I FIND THE TRUTH IN HIS DOCTRINES
I FIND THE TRUTH IN HIS HOLY BROTHERHOOD

Always we must remember that no matter how right the words may be, they have no real meaning that is of value to us unless what we have in our hearts is right.

A person who lives far from any Buddhist land and who has never even seen a wearer of the yellow robe, can become a true follower of the Lord Buddha simply by having a real desire in his heart to be the Buddha's true disciple and follow the Dharma-teachings.

The Buddha is our teacher, the Dharma is medicine of unhappiness by showing us how to overcome the cause of unhappiness and the Sangha is our friend. Every Buddhist boy and girl ought to know some form of devotion to use everyday, especially on waking up and at bedtime. Anyone can easily learn the Three Refuges and they make an excellent devotion for anyone, young or old, to be used at any time of the day or night, but all over the Buddhist world, it is rather generally agree that it is a wise and holy plan to start the day with thoughts of "the Three Jewels", as the Three Refuges are often called, and also to make them our last thought before we go to sleep.

Even though this devotion is a short one, it really covers the entire Buddhist teaching, if we stop to consider that the Buddha is over supreme teacher and guide through life, the Dharma is the teaching He left us to be our "road map" on our way through the world, and the Sangha, or Brotherhood of Monks, represents the keeper of the Dharma and is our friend. -S. Sagaku.
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THE FIVE PRECEPTS
(Moral of Humanity)

1. I will be mindful and reverential with all life,I will not be violent nor will I kill.

2. I will respect the property of others, I will not steal.

3. I will be conscious and loving in my relationships, I will not give way to lust.
Do not engage in sexual misconduct.

4. I will honor honesty and truth, I will not deceive.

5. I will exercise proper care of my body and mind, I will not be gluttonous nor abuse intoxicants.