What is a Sangha? Is there “a” Sangha, or “the” Sangha? Does it matter? Do I need one?
There isn’t a single exact definition of “Sangha.” It is clear from the canonical texts that Sangha meant different things at different times.
We do know, unequivocally that Sangha is one of the Three Treasures that all Buddhists take refuge in: Buddha. Dharma. Sangha.
There is no sutra, vinaya rule, or abhidharma passage that authorizes institutional prerogative or authority over all practitioners. No one should be claiming that their community is “The Community.”
The Buddha never said, this is the one right way, nor that anyone would have the Buddha Dharma power of decree.
Buddha also never said one had to be part of a community to practice. He himself was known to go off on his own at times. And, his awakening was done by himself, alone.
When studying any Buddhist idea, it is good practice to use the Three Truths to understand the idea: The Truth of Emptiness, The Truth of Provisionality and The Truth of the Middle Way.
There is a provisional reality, arising through mutually interdependent causes and conditions. Living in the provisional realm, this Saha World, everything is skillful means. Some call this provisional reality the “historical,” bounded by time and space.
There is the emptiness of all things, that nothing has a permanent inherent self. Some call this the Ultimate, or Eternal Buddha, unbound from time and space, no beginning, no end.
There is the Middle Way, that because everything is empty it exists provisionally, and because everything is provisional, and dependent on other things, it is empty. All three truths contain the other two.
All societies, communities and groups need common rules, laws, agreements, and constructs to function, what some call “norms.” We agree to drive on the correct side of the road. We agree a paper “dollar” is worth something. We agree to abide by the results of an election. When these things break down chaos arises. But this essay is not about philosophy and morality.
As Buddhists we committed to living within the Saha world – the provisional – vowing to use the Buddhist intentions as our moral compass to mindfully navigate the complexities of arising dependent origination. These intentions are summarized as:
Refraining from all that is detrimental,
The attainment of what is wholesome,
The purification of one’s mind:
This is the instruction of Awakened Ones.
(Dhammapada 14.5)
We use as our “map” the Tripitaka or Three Baskets: Sutras, Vinaya, Abhidharma. Which for Nichiren Buddhists is all encapsulated in the Odaimoku. However, faith in the Odaimoku doesn’t mean we should “just chant” and not be educated about the entire Tripitaka; after all, Nichiren wrote we need Faith, Practice and Study.
So, back to “what is a Sangha?”
At its broadest definition, Sangha means the four assemblies of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The Buddha is often depicted as teaching the “fourfold assembly,” surrounded by monks, nuns, and male and female lay followers, with people and beings coming and going all the time.
So, the Sangha is a religious community formed to support one’s practice of awakening. Thich Naht Hanh describes Sangha, “… as a community of friends practicing the dharma together in order to bring about and to maintain awareness. The essence of a Sangha is awareness, understanding, acceptance, harmony and love.” He further says, “When we say, ‘I take refuge in the Sangha,’ it is not a statement, it is a practice.” (Friends on the Path: Living Spiritual Communities (2002) by Thich Nhat Hanh)
Being in a Sangha is more than self-identifying and mere words, it means doing and action, or one could say, “Namu.”
The Buddha was very clear about the need to associate and surround ourselves with good friends:
“Then the Venerable Ananda approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, sat down to one side, and said to him:
“Venerable sir, this is half of the holy life, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.”
“Not so, Ananda! Not so, Ananda! This is the entire holy life, Ananda, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a monk has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path.”
(Samyutta Nikaya 45.2)
“Five things induce release of heart and lasting peace,” the Buddha told the monk Meghiya. “First, a lovely intimacy with good friends. Second, virtuous conduct. Third, frequent conversation that inspires and encourages practice. Fourth, diligence, energy, and enthusiasm for the good. And fifth, insight into impermanence.”
(Udana 4.1)
The definition of Good Friend and Good Comrades, from Rev. Ryuei McCormick’s forthcoming book, A Nichiren Buddhist Dictionary:”
Acquiring Good Friends (J. gon zenchishiki; 近善智識) According to Zhiyi, in
preparing the five conditions among the twenty-five preparatory means for facilitating
the practice of calming and contemplation, practitioners must associate with good
friends, who can be those who 1) provide external protection and support, 2) fellow
practitioners, and 3) teachers. (CSQI, pp. 652-658, 1673)
Good Friend: (S. kalyāṇamitra; J. zenchishiki; 善知識) The Sanskrit term kalyāṇamitra
literally means “good knowledge,” the term refers to a reliable friend or teacher who
leads one to arouse the awakening mind. The twenty-third, “The Previous Life of
Medicine King Bodhisattva,” chapter of the Lotus Sutra uses the term to refer to one
who causes people to arouse the awakening mind.
Sometimes “Sangha” meant just the monastic Sangha; those who are following monastic precepts. These are full time practitioners who are no longer involved in household life or involvement in sensual pleasures and material conciliations. Full monastics take on hundreds of what are called “binding rules” set down by the Buddha in order to maintain harmony within the monastic Sangha, harmony between the monastics and their lay supporters, and to ensure that the monastics conduct themselves as though they are arhats.
In terms of the four assemblies, monastics and laity are all followers of the Buddha, and while all may be at different levels of spiritual maturity regardless of monastic or householder status, neither have any direct authority over the other.
It’s worth noting that the Buddha never set up an institutional hierarchy or authority. His refusal was one of the main causes of conflict with Devadatta. Devadatta wanted to be “The Leader.” All of the Sangha’s governance decisions after the Buddha’s passing were made by group consensuses through a vote.
Buddhist monastics, however, were not given any authority over the householders by the Buddha. If the monastics did not approve of things their lay supporters were doing, their only recourse was to refuse to accept their offerings. Likewise, the lay supporters could withhold their offerings if the monastics were not conducting themselves well. So the Buddha’s original establishment of the Sangha was not meant to be anything other than a voluntary community of full-time celibate practitioners who were to live as itinerant mendicants supported by the alms of those who wished to support their practice. He did not institute a church or temple system such as we see today.
What is the role of the institutional Sangha? By institutional Sangha I mean both the lineages of monks following the monastic precepts who can claim an unbroken line back to the monastic Sangha instituted by the Buddha to more modern Buddhist religious institutions which may no longer even have a monastic Sangha following the binding rules as set forth by the Buddha. It seems to me that the institutional Sangha exists to facilitate the more authentic manifestation of Sangha. The point of the institutional Sangha is to support the teaching and practice of those who are upholding and sharing the Wonderful Dharma, cooperating with each other, and being “good friends” to one another. The institutional Sangha can do this by providing training programs, certifying lay leaders and ordaining clergy, providing materials for education, training and practice, and providing oversight so that there can be accountability between members and leaders to facilitate trust and harmony.
On several occasions, the Buddha refers to the “Arya Sangha” or “Noble Sangha” consisting of stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats. Any of these states may be attained by either monastics or householders, though it is taught that a householder who becomes an arhat would either be on their deathbed or would quickly renounce lay life at the first opportunity.
The Lotus Sutra teaches that the Sangha of the Latter Day consists of the Bodhisattvas Appearing from Under the Earth who received the specific transmission to teach the Wonderful Dharma in chapter 21. The “Sangha” of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth defies all institutional boundaries.
In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha teaches us that we all gain great merit when we are able to share even a verse or phrase of the Wonderful Dharma with others. This means we should try to be “good friends” with whoever we can practice together with, whoever can help lift us up spiritually, and whoever we can provide assistance to in their practice.
In Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra, these bodhisattvas come in groups of varying sizes. Some have large retinues of followers, while other bodhisattvas of the earth are solitary practitioners. This shows that there is a place even among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth for solitary practice at times.
In other discourses in both the pre-Mahayana and Mahayana sutras the Buddha spoke in praise of solitary practitioners who lived as hermits in the forest. This was allowed, provided that these hermits still collected alms from the householder supporters and gathered with other monastics to recite the precepts together every fortnight during the full and new moons. There are certainly times when we must go off alone to cultivate what we have learned, but the Buddha clearly intended for practitioners to help and support one another.
Recently the word “Sangha” has even been extended to include anyone with an interest in Buddhism. This wider meaning of Sangha would include meditation communities or affinity groups that self-identify as Sanghas – or Buddhist practice communities.
That covers several of the definitions of Sangha from a provisional or historical perspective. Now let’s begin to move towards looking at the Sangha from the Ultimate, Eternal or metaphysical perspective. When looking at Sangha metaphysically, it’s important not forget the why the Buddha made community one of the Three Treasures. Again, the Ultimate includes the Provisional, and the Provisional includes the Ultimate.
The concept of Sangha might even be extended to encompass all sentient beings—and even all inhabitants of a unified ecosystem—as members of a single Sangha. This inspiring vision brings with it a heightened sense of connection, a greater appreciation of mutual interdependence, and a shared responsibility for all beings to respect and care for one another.
What the Lotus Sutra and Nirvana Sutra, mean by this universal sense of Sangha is that all beings have buddha-nature and all beings have deep karmic connection to the Buddha Dharma and in the fullness of time will awaken and cause others to awaken.
Thich Naht Hanh poetically wrote about this universal metaphysical view of Sangha, “In the Buddhist scriptures it is said that there are four communities: monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. But I also include elements that are not human in the Sangha. The trees, water, air, birds, and so on can all be members of our Sangha. A beautiful walking path may be part of our Sangha. A good cushion can be also. We can make many things into supportive elements of our Sangha. This idea is not entirely new; it can be found throughout the sutras and in the Abhidharma, too. A pebble, a leaf and a dahlia are mentioned in the Lotus Sutra in this respect. It is said in the Pure Land Sutra that if you are mindful, then when the wind blows through the trees, you will hear the teaching of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, the Eightfold Path, and so on. The whole cosmos is preaching the buddha dharma and practicing the buddha dharma. If you are attentive, you will get in touch with that Sangha.”
Coming back to our own human predicament, what need do we have of Sangha? Humans are biological creatures. We humans evolved as social animals. We need others for safety, comfort, procreation and survival. We need community. We need friends. We need family. Solitary confinement is considered cruel and unusual punishment. Practicing alone can be lonely and hard. We all get down from time to time and it’s nice to have good spiritual friends to talk to and when we need a hand or a shoulder to lean on. It’s also important for solo practitioners to be humble and not think they know everything and don’t need good spiritual friends and elders to seek advice and council from time to time.
Thich Naht Hanh continues, “If we work on our problems alone, it becomes more difficult. But if you have someone, a good friend sitting with you, you feel much better. You feel supported and you have more strength in order to deal with your strong emotion. That is why it is very important to practice in the context of a sangha. As individuals we have problems, and we also have problems in our families, our societies and our nations. Meditation in the twenty-first century should become a collective practice; without a sangha we cannot achieve much. When we begin to focus our attention on the suffering on a larger scale, we begin to connect with and to relate to other people, who are also ourselves, and the little problems that we have within our individual circle will vanish. In this way our loneliness or our feeling of being cut off will no longer be there, and we will be able to do things together.”
Our attitude and intention during chanting meditation is joy, humility, and repentance. If one thinks they don’t need anything or anyone and know everything already it can be a fetter to their awakening.
This doesn’t mean one has to “join” any sect, school, denomination, or they are doing something wrong. But they should be honest with themselves that at times they may need a hand or guidance and know where to go to get it.
The world is a big place, there aren’t temples on every corner with easy access for everyone. Not everyone can deal with community-by-zoom. There are 7 billion people on the planet. Not everyone is alike. Everyone needs different things. Not every organization, network, group will appeal to everyone.
And in the end, as Bodhisattvas of the Earth our goal is both our own awakening and helping others awaken too. To transform the world. Thich Naht Hanh wrote, “I don’t think the Buddha wanted us to abandon our society, our culture or our roots in order to practice. The practice of Buddhism should help people go back to their families. It should help people re-enter society in order to rediscover and accept the good things that are there in their culture and to rebuild those that are not.”
Sangha is one of the Three Treasures. So, what does this mean for those who wish to practice alone, or be “independent?” The Buddha taught that if one can’t find good friends then it is better to practice alone than to associate with others who encourage unwholesome behaviors, and perhaps “gas-light” one’s view of themselves and their reality:
“Better it is to walk alone,
There is no companionship with fools,
Walk alone and do no evil,
At ease like a tusker in the woods.”
(Majjhima Nikaya 128.6)
The Buddha recognizing that some will want and need to be solo practitioners, either occasionally, sometimes or all the time, taught them how to do it properly:
“That is a way of dwelling alone, Elder, I do not deny this. But as to how dwelling alone is fulfilled in detail, listen to that and attend closely, I will speak.”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“And how, Elder, is dwelling alone fulfilled in detail? Here, Elder, what lies in the past has been abandoned, what lies in the future has been relinquished, and desire and lust for present forms of individual existence has been thoroughly removed. It is in such a way, Elder, that dwelling alone is fulfilled in detail.”
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:
“The wise one, all-conqueror, all-knower,
Among all things unsullied, with all cast off,
Liberated in the destruction of craving:
I call that person ‘one who dwells alone.’”
(Samyutta Nikaya 21.10)
“Let not a person revive the past.
Or on the future build his hopes.
For the past has been left behind.
And the future has not been reached.
Instead with insight let him see
Each presently arisen state,
Let him know that and be sure of it,
Invincibly, unshakeably.
Today the effort must be made;
Tomorrow Death may come, who know?
No bargain with Mortality
Can keep him and his hordes away,
But one who dwells thus ardently,
Relentlessly, by day, by night -
It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said,
Who is the ideal lover of solitude.
(Majjhima Nikaya 131.3)
The Lotus Sutra encourages everyone to teach, even a single verse… one need not be ordained or a member of any community to share the Dharma. It clearly recognizes solo practitioners, “independents” legitimizing them as equals to all the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth:
“When the Buddha spoke these words, the ground of the three-thousand-great-thousandfold lands of the saha world began trembling and splitting open, and all at once, innumerable thousands of millions of bodhisattva-mahasattvas sprang up out of it. These bodhisattvas had golden-hued bodies, the thirty-two marks, and immeasurable radiance. Up until then, they had all been dwelling in the empty space beneath this saha world. These bodhisattvas emerged from below upon hearing the sound of Shakyamuni Buddha speaking. Each of these bodhisattvas was at the head of a great assembly, leading followers as numerous as the sands of sixty thousand Ganges. More bodhisattvas were bringing followers as numerous as the sands of fifty thousand, forty thousand, thirty thousand, twenty thousand, or ten thousand Ganges. Still more were bringing followers as numerous as the sands of one Ganges, the sands of a half Ganges, or a quarter Ganges, down to one thousandth of one ten-thousandth of one millionth of one billionth of a Ganges. Still more were bringing followers numbering in the tens of billions of myriads, or bringing followers numbering in the billions, or bringing followers numbering in the hundreds of millions, the tens of millions, the millions, the thousands, the hundreds, the tens, or even those leading five, four, three, two, or one follower. Still more were those who came alone, content in their practice of solitude. The total number of all of these bodhisattvas was immeasurable and boundless, beyond comprehension by calculation or simile.” (Lotus Sutra Chapter Fifteen, The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers by Michio Shinozaki, Brook Ziporyn)
Everyone is welcome in the Dharma. Large groups, small groups and solo practitioners. If you don’t want to join a formal school, group, lineage, or organization that is fine, but one should remember being a Buddhist is more than just practicing for oneself. An important part of being a Buddhist is learning and practicing being a good spiritual friend for others. Perhaps, even starting one’s own small group.
The goal of our practice is to both awaken ourselves and share this Path with others in many ways, and not always in traditional ways. A kind word, a helping hand, working for climate change, social justice, writing, art, music, movement, formal and informal Buddhist groups may all be ways of sharing the Dharma. Everything in the provisional world is skillful means. There are many innumerable meanings of the Dharma depending on how it is applied to each situation.
We are all in this together and through patience and understanding and acceptance of all beings, all traditions, all religions, we can heal the world and awaken ourselves.
Nichiren Shu Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area welcomes everyone, Buddhist, non-Buddhist and Independent solo practitioner to join in community of chanting the Odaimoku with no pressure, requirement or obligation to join. All are free to come and go at will. We offer a wide range of services and meditations, oriented for self-identified Buddhists, both Nichiren Buddhists and other Buddhist schools, other faiths, as well as secular humanists.
NBA doesn’t require anyone to join or commit to unquestioning allegiance to a leader, teacher, master, mentor or guru. We don’t tell people who they can and can’t associate with nor what other services and practices they can attend. There’s no hierarchical authority telling us what to do or criticizing us if we fall short, condemning us if we slip up. After all, who needs anyone else to do that when the inner voice in our head is quite capable of doing it for us!
While we honor our history and roots. We believe that overly emphasizing sects or institutions is a fetter to liberation and awakening, and perpetuates attachment and is unnecessarily controlling; being contrary to what Buddha actually taught.
If Buddha’s teachings truly work, then everyone will become liberated and awakened through their own personal effort - not through an intermediary teacher/master/leader/mentor. Each person must develop the ability to make their own wholesome choices as to how to skillfully and mindfully live with love, compassion, joy, and ease.
Buddhism is experiential. The Buddha pointed the way, sharing how to free ourselves from suffering, how to find happiness; how to play our part in creating a beautiful world of peace and love. But it’s up to us to actually do it. It’s grown-up teaching; the Buddha treats us like adults, not children. Whenever the Buddha finished teaching, his parting words were this: "Now is the time to do as you see fit."
For over 2500 years the Buddhist tradition has been offering a way for every person to become awakened, thereby realizing and actualizing one’s own buddha-nature. The Buddha never said he was a god, nor did he say that we should follow him to an otherworldly heaven. Instead, he said, “Come try this and see for yourself.”
The Buddha emphasized personal responsibility and accountability. In essence, Buddhism teaches that if we liberate ourselves, we can liberate the world. Mindfulness and compassion are noble human qualities that all can cultivate. Through practice we can live with trust and confidence, so that our thoughts, words, and actions can transform us and positively influence everyone and everything around us.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
Rev. Ryuei McCormick and Shami Ryugan Herrick