Chapter 6 Religions of South Asia 209to establish their own places of worship in Bodh Gaya. From that year on, Bud-
dhist groups from Sri Lanka, Burma, Japan, Bhutan, Mongolia, Vietnam,
Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, and other places have built monasteries and temples in
their own distinctive architectural styles, and Bodh Gaya is now—once again—
the center of international Buddhist pilgrimage (Geary 2008). So are other
places in eastern India associated with the life of Buddha: the ruins of the great
monastery of Nalanda is nearby; other destinations are Sarnath, outside Vara-
nasi where the Buddha preached to his first five followers, Lumbini in Nepal
where he was born, and Kushinagar where he entered Parinirvana (died).The “Three Jewels” of Buddhism
Throughout the Buddhist world, devotees have recited the words that
Ashoka uttered on his conversion as a way of making their own spiritual com-
mitment: “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take ref-
uge in the Sangha.” These are the “Three Jewels,” a mnemonic device that
summarizes the key concepts of Buddhism.
“I Take Refuge in the Buddha.” Among the many renouncers of society
who wandered between sacred river sites and Himalayan retreats in the sixth cen-The Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya. Buddhists from all over the world come to the small town of
Bodh Gaya, Bihar (India), to worship at the place where the Buddha gained enlightenment in
the fifth century B.C.E. The tree is said to be a descendant of the original tree.