Ratana Sutta


The Ratana Sutta is a Buddhist discourse found in the Pali Canon's Sutta Nipata and Khuddakapatha ; with a parallel in the Mahavastu. In the Pali it is seventeen verses in length, and in the Sanskrit version nineteen. The Ratana Sutta extols the characteristics of the three ratana in Buddhism: the Enlightened One, the Teaching and the noble community of disciples.

Background

In Theravada Buddhism, according to post-canonical Pali commentaries, the background story for the Ratana Sutta is that the town of Vesali was being plagued by disease, non-human beings and famine; in despair, the townspeople called upon the Buddha for aid; he had the Ven. Ananda go through town reciting this discourse leading to the dispersal of the town's woes.

Contents

The Ratana Sutta upholds the Three Jewels as follows:
In Theravada countries and institutions, this discourse is often recited as part of religious, public and private ceremonies for the purpose of blessing new endeavors and dispelling inauspicious forces.