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The Way Out Is In

The Three Jewels (Episode #89)

The Way Out Is In

Plum Village

Education, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Buddhism

4.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 82 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

🎟 Get tickets to the live podcast episode in London. Welcome to episode 89 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. In this installment, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach/journalist Jo Confino look at one of the foundational teachings of Buddhism: the Three Jewels – the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.  The Buddha is the teacher who, through his own direct experience, found the path to liberation from suffering. The Dharma refers to the teachings and practices that lead to awakening. The Sangha is the community that supports and transmits the Dharma. Their conversation emphasizes the Sangha’s importance as the community that keeps the Buddha’s teachings alive and relevant; the need for communities rooted in the Dharma, with clear practices and guidelines to provide refuge and support spiritual transformation; and more. As usual, the hosts provide examples from their own experiences, as well as stories by or involving Thich Nhat Hanh. Enjoy! Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/  And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resources Donate to support Plum Village’s reconstruction https://plumvillage.org/donate Interbeinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing   Sister Chan Khonghttps://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khongSister Chan Duchttps://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/sr-chan-duc  Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals 1962-1966https://plumvillage.org/books/1998-neo-ve-cua-y-fragrant-palm-leavesNalanda mahaviharahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda_mahavihara  Buddhahoodhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhahood Dharma Talks: ‘The Five Skandhas of Grasping and Non-Self​’https://plumvillage.org/library/dharma-talks/the-five-skandhas-of-grasping-and-non-self%E2%80%8B-dharma-talk-by-br-phap-lai-2018-06-08 Old Path White Cloudshttps://plumvillage.org/books/old-path-white-clouds-2  ‘The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings’https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/the-14-mindfulness-trainings  Wake Up Networkhttps://plumvillage.org/community/wake-up-young-practitioners Vinayahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinaya The Hermit and the Wellhttps://plumvillage.org/books/hermit-and-the-well Quotes “When we talk about the first jewel, the Buddha, we have to understand that each and every one of us has Buddha nature.”  “Where’s my Buddha nature? My Buddha nature is my mindfulness shining in, shining out, shining near, shining far.”  “The relationship between teacher and student is companionship on the path. If a teacher understands that his true belonging and his true continuation is his students, then he would do everything in his, her, or their capacity to transmit their wisdom. So the Buddha Jewel is to acknowledge that this tradition has a root teacher. And it comes from direct experience and embraces and embodies the awakened nature that each and every one of us has. A good teacher, a good Buddha, can allow us to touch our Buddha nature.”  “Buddhism doesn’t mean ignoring your own traditional religious roots. And, as it’s not considered a religion, that Buddha nature can exist alongside your religious history. So if you’re Jewish or Christian, you don’t need to say, ‘Oh, I’m a Buddhist’; you can continue with your own traditions. And Thay said that it’s so important to stay rooted in your traditions, because that is your individual ancestry. And buddhahood doesn’t contradict that, doesn’t overlay it, but actually comes alongside it to support it.”  “Our f

Transcript

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0:00.0

Dear friends, welcome back to this latest episode of the podcast series, The Way Out is In.

0:26.6

I'm Joe Confino working at the intersection of personal transformation and systems evolution.

0:32.2

And I am Brother Fabhu, student of Zen Master Tickingham in the Plum Village tradition.

0:38.3

And today, dear listeners, we are going to be looking at one of the foundational teachings of Buddhism, which is the three jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sanga.

0:44.3

The way out is in. to his team.

1:04.6

Hello, dear friends. I am Joe Confino.

1:06.0

And I'm Brother Fubhu.

1:13.6

And brother, we are going to talk today about the three jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sanga.

1:16.9

So why are they called the three jewels?

1:20.5

Because I imagine that's because they're very precious.

1:30.0

The three jewels, when I reflect on this, in a way, it's the legacy of the Buddha that he left behind for all of us.

1:41.7

And the three jewels are the representation of the path of the Buddha, which is himself, first of all.

1:48.1

When I speak about himself, it's not from an egotistic place, but it is for wisdom to be handed down, you have to have teachers. So it's important to recognize the teachers

1:56.9

that are present in life, and particularly here here in Buddhism that the teacher, our

2:03.3

original teacher when we speak in these language in Buddhism, it refers to the Buddha himself.

2:10.5

And the Buddha was a human being that gone through the experience and journey of life like all of us.

2:20.3

Even he experienced loss at a very early age when his mother passed away when she gave birth

2:27.9

to him.

2:28.4

So that already was a condition of suffering that he had to learn to grieve and he had to

2:33.6

go through his journey

2:36.8

without a mother. But very fortunately, his aunt became his mother. And his journey,

2:44.3

touching enlightenment, allowed people to understand that this is a person that I can take refuge in.

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