[Within the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha], the Buddha shows us the possibility that we can awaken to the truth about life. Shakyamuni Buddha provided us with a model of human wisdom and compassion. When we take refuge in him, we take refuge in the possibility of our own awakening. In different schools of Buddhism, the Buddha is interpreted as anything from an abstraction to an almost god-like celestial being, but in Nichiren Buddhism, we do not regard Shakyamuni Buddha as an other-worldly reality, abstract ideal, or long dead teacher. He is the awakening to the living reality of our own lives, which we realize when we take faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.