What is Sangha & Why is a Sangha Important?

A reader asked us an important question recently about the Buddhist term, “Sangha.” “Sangha is a Sanskrit word meaning community. But what are the origins of sangha and why is it important in terms of spiritual development?

Britannica points to the origins of sangha:

The sangha originated in the group of disciples who renounced the worldly life to wander with the Buddha and listen to his teachings. After the Buddha’s death his disciples continued to live together as a community, wandering from place to place, living off the receipt of alms. Fortnightly, at the time of the full and new moon (the uposatha days), followers of the Buddha would gather to reaffirm their sense of community and purpose by reciting their basic beliefs, such as the Threefold Refuge and the codes of conduct. The custom of spending the rainy season in one place in a study retreat (see vassa) led gradually to the settling of the community.

The importance of sangha cannot be overestimated. Trying to achieve enlightenment and/ or presence by yourself and only for yourself is like trying to walk uphill during a mudslide. Opening yourself to others, supporting and being supported, is critical to loosening the fetters of ego and selfishness.

The late Chogyam Trungpa said of taking refuge in the Sangha,

“The sangha is the community of people who have the perfect right to cut through your trips and feed you with their wisdom, as well as the perfect right to demonstrate their own neurosis and be seen through by you. The companionship within the sangha is a kind of clean friendship-—without expectation, without demand, but at the same time, fulfilling.”

We feel that the term Sangha transcends Buddhism and can be seen in other aspects of life in religious and nonreligious settings. For example, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Where ever two or three gather in my name, I am there.”

Similarly, in yoga, we gather together and practice. When we practice as a group, we can feed off of each other’s energy. Some yoga communities or sanghas take their practice “off the mat” and engage in projects to improve the world and help people.

What is Sangha to you??

image credit: Sage Rountree Yoga