The Buddha is the Teacher, the one who discovered the path that allows us to end suffering in this lifetime. In his compassion and loving-kindness for all beings, he taught what he had discovered, knowing that he was a human being and that all human beings have the same nature, Buddha Nature, the Potential to Become Awakened.

Buddha never thought of himself as a god. He allowed himself to be called Buddha, The Awakened One, or Tathagatha, The Thus Come One. He never claimed to be extraordinary. Like my own teacher, Ven. Dr. Thich Thien-An, he was the most ordinary person alive. He was extraordinarily ordinary, fully developed in the way only human beings can be, that we all have the potential to be.

The Dharma is the teachings, the words that have come down to us, what the Buddha said during his lifetime. Dharma is also the words of other people who have followed the Buddha's path and have seen clearly.

In addition, all things, all processes in the world are Dharma. When we get beyond our little self, we see how the world works, and we learn from the results of our actions. Everything is Dharma.

Sangha technically refers to the community of monks and nuns, but, to me, the real Sangha is the Mahasangha, the Community of People Who Follow the Path, with no distinctions between monastics and householders. We all learn from each other and support each other in our practice. Sangha is family, people with whom we can connect, with whom we share values. No matter what Buddhist tradition we follow or what is our national origin, we are linked by a more important quest, the Quest for Inner Peace and Acceptance. This is exactly what the Buddha meant when he told his disciples that All Men are Brothers.

Sometimes people refer to the Buddha as the doctor, the Dharma as the medicine, and the Sangha as the nurses. We need lots of nurses to help people understand about taking their medicine. The Buddha may write the prescription, but until we get that prescription filled, it can't help us. We can carry the prescription around all over with us, but the piece of paper can't cure our ills. With the help of the Sangha, with the help of each other, we begin to understand that it's up to us to take our medicine and put it to good use.

Sometimes Buddha is seen as the noble guide, the trailblazer, the one who found the way and marked it so clearly for us all. Then the Dharma becomes the trail, and the Sangha the pioneers following that trail to see what lies along the way for themselves.

The Buddha is only a teacher, a venerable guide, but you are the way. Happy trails to you. Om mani padme hum.

@buddhavision