THE BUDDHA AS TEACHER 43This became the standard formula for taking refuge, even after the two mean-
ings of the term Sangha began to diverge in the course of the Buddha's career.
When the divergence became noticeable, the standard formula for expressing
faith and conviction in the Three Refuges was worded to refer specifically to
Sangha in the ideal sense.
The act of taking refuge, in traditional Indian culture, was a formal act of
allegiance, submitting to the preeminence and claiming the protection of a
powerful patron, whether human or divine. The formula of taking refuge was
uttered three times to make it a solemn and formal commitment. For Bud-
dhists, the act of taking refuge constitutes a profession of faith in the Buddha's
Awakening, in the truth of his teaching, and in the worthiness of the Sangha.
It is an act of submission in that one is committed to conducting one's life in
line with the Dharma, principally with the doctrine of karma; it is an act of
claiming protection in that one trusts that by following the teaching one will
not fall into the misfortunes that bad karma engenders.
All those who take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha become
members of the Buddha's fourfold pari{ ad (assembly) of followers: monks,
nuns, male lay devotees, and female lay devotees. Although it has been said
that all Buddhist followers are members of the Sangha, this is not the case.
Only the ordained are members of the conventional Sangha; only those who
have acquired the Dharma-eye are members of the ideal Sangha. Neverthe-
less, those followers who do not belong to the Sangha in either sense of the
word still count as genuine Buddhists in that they are members of the Bud-:-
dha's pari~ad.
When Yasa's family became Buddhists, word spread to Yasa's friends. Many
of them came, listeneq to the Buddha,. took ordination, and gained full Awak-
ening. There were then 61 arhants in the world. Once the Buddha had con-
solidated a cadre of 60 Awakened monks, he sent them out as missionaries,
charging them to travel and proclaim the Dharma for the benefit of the many,
out of compassion for the world and for the welfare of divine and human be-
ings. Those with keen faculties would attain liberation if, and only if, they
heard the doctrine.
The historic success of Buddhism stems from its concern for the many, re-
gardless of race, caste, class, or gender. Compassion includes not only a sense
of sympathy for the suffering of others, but also an effort to alleviate it. The
foremost act of compassion is Dharma-donation-teaching the way to freedom
from suffering. In contrast to the Brahmanical schools, who kept their teach-
ings as secret as possible, the Buddhists broadcast their message to the multi-
tudes, aiming it specifically at those most ready to receive it. Good
Dharma-preachers, to borrow a Quaker phrase, "speak to the condition" of
their audience. They aim not only to proclaim their doctrine but also to com-
municate it. To continue the medical analogy, their concern is less with teach-
ing medical theory than with facilitating cures.
Only Buddhas attain Awakening without receiving the gift of Dharma
from another, and even they, according to later theory, heard it many lives ago
from a former Buddha. (There have been many Buddhas in the past and