Our Sangha
The Three Jewels in Buddhism are: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. These are the refuges where practitioners find true peace and freedom.
Buddha means the awakened one, the embodiment of the truth within ourselves.
Dharma is the teaching of the realized one; it is the path to restore our true self or inner light.
Sangha means the spiritual community or an assembly where like-minded people live, study and practice together for a common purpose.
Everyone would like to lead a happy and free life. To reach that goal, we strive to better our lives. However, there are many who are unaware of the path, although many enlightened teachers have clearly shown the way. Even if we are aware of the path, it is still not easy to actually walk on that path, especially at this time when materialism dominates our society. That is why the Buddha said that Sangha is of paramount importance. The Sangha creates a setting that supports our journey, the inner journey to the state of unconditional and everlasting happiness and freedom.
However straight a tree might grow, it sometimes needs pruning. Likewise, our practice needs to be guided and consistently encouraged. Dharma - the path to enlightenment – must be learned and put into practice.
The Won Dharma Center provides a setting where everyone can practice, learn, and work together; thus we can all find the true value of our lives and reveal our authentic selves. Our Sangha is based on the teachings of Won Buddhism, which is a reformed Buddhism that emphasizes the truth that “Daily life is buddhadharma and buddhadharma is daily life.” The Won Dharma Center is characterized by the balance of study, practice, and work. It is open to people of all walks of life regardless of their faith or background, as long as they have the desire to discover their true selves and to find inner peace.
The Buddha holds a lamp so that we do not wander aimlessly and can directly find our way home. The path is not so easy with the many temptations and obstacles prevalent in society today. But when we all walk together in the Sangha, we find the journey not so difficult and much more pleasant.
One Zen master’s analogy is that when potatoes are washed together, so that they rub against one another, they become clean with half the effort. Together at the Won Dharma Center we can reap our common harvest with much less toil.
We believe that a healthy Sangha is the foundation upon which we can create world peace. We envision the Won Dharma Center as a spiritual haven, a community which will awaken people’s minds and brighten the world, creating a world of Oneness and Truth.