Buddhism’s Development

Buddhism, as a long-running tradition thriving in many cultures and epochs of history, is of course complex. The traditional description of what Buddhism entails is to point to the three jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), and the sangha (community). This formulation, the triranta, gives wide

scope to understand the phenomenon of Buddhism overall. The first element, the Buddha, was Gautama Siddhartha, an enlightened being. His Dharma, the second element, was his vision, and all the understandings that relate to it. This vision, a kind of personal liberation, continues to motivate

people as only a powerful utopia can. And his sangha, the third element, is the community of believers, who are traditionally grouped into separate groups of mendicants or settled recluses living separate from society. This style of living in tight-knit groups, primarily in monasteries, has had formidable staying power throughout history.