Devotion to the Three Jewels: Essence of Buddha Dharma; the Most Important Practice

Why is devotion considered the “essence of the path” in Buddhism? Why does every Buddhist practice, without exception begin with Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels, the objects of our devotion? Why do even the most senior teachers still practice prostration and devotion? Why is devotion the first of the four foundations of Buddhism, and how can we develop it? We answer these questions in this short presentation.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in The Excellent Path to Enlightenment wrote:
“Devotion is the essence of the path.”
Video
CONTENTS:
00:00 Why is Devotion and Refuge Important?
01:13 Dilgo Rinpoche: “Devotion is the essence”
01:27 What does Devotion Mean? Is it worship?
02:01 What do we Take Refuge In? The 3 Jewels
02:27 Guru RInpoche on Faith
02:55 Faith is Shown through devotion, not worship
04:06 Chanted Refuge by 3GemsBand
05:14 Inspiring Us with Devotional Songs and Praise
05:38 Taking Refuge as a Foundation Practice
07:16 Developing a Puja Practice: Devotion, Offering
07:48 Vajrakilaya Puja for One Full Month?
08:35 Devotion in 15 Days of Lunar New Year
09:01 ALL Practices Begin with Refuge. No Exceptions.
09:46 Four Foundation Practices Recommended by Teachers
10:43 Four Attitudes of a Buddhist
10:57 The First Attitude: Devotion
11:18 2nd Attitude: Bodhichitta and Compassion
11:46 3rd Attitude: Wisdom and Ethics
12:23 4th Attitude: Reliance on 3 Jewels and Guru
12:40 Why Repeat 100,000 Times?
14:27 Foundations are for Life
14:49 What is a Puja: All Four Combined
16:49 Inspiration and Joy Help Maintain Devotion
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO @3GemsBand to show your support for their inspirational musical devotional mission! https://www.youtube.com/@UCUHAgAoNDjxMiSiBIVPjeHQ
MUSIC in this video was: Praising the Deeds of Shakyamuni @3GemsBand
Song Title: Praising the Deeds of Shakyamuni @3GemsBand’s Heroic Vocals with Sanskrit Mantras.

Available for STREAMING under band 3Gems Band and song title “Praising the Deeds of Shakyamuni”: Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, iTunes, Instagram/Facebook, TikTok, YouTube Music,Amazon, Pandora, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Claro Música, Saavn, Boomplay, Anghami, NetEase, Tencent, Qobuz, Joox, Kuack Media, Adaptr, Flo,MediaNet
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Lee Kane
Author | Buddha Weekly
Lee Kane is the editor of Buddha Weekly, since 2007. His main focuses as a writer are mindfulness techniques, meditation, Dharma and Sutra commentaries, Buddhist practices, international perspectives and traditions, Vajrayana, Mahayana, Zen. He also covers various events.
Lee also contributes as a writer to various other online magazines and blogs.

