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Buddham sharanam gachchami (I take refuge in the Buddha) ......... Dharmam sharanam gachchami (I take refuge in the Dharma) ......... Sangham sharanam gachchami (I take refuge in the Sangha) ......... |
The simple mantra to enter the Sangha or the religious community was the triple Gems of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Must visit are the four places associated with his life - Lumbini, where he is born. Bodhgaya, where he attained his Enlightenment. Sarnath,where he preached his First Sermon and Kushinagar, the site of his Mahparinirvana. A few months after the Mahparinirvana, the first Buddhist Council was held at Rajgir, the second council took place a hundred years later at Vaishali and the third at Pataliputra wsa held under the patronage of the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka who embraced Buddhism and took major steps to popularize the same during his tenure.