Sangha

Monks from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Sangha (Skt. saṅgha; P. saṅgha; T. dge ’dun; C. sengqie; J. sōgya; K. sŭngga 僧伽). Literally "community", "association", "assembly", etc.

In traditional usage, the term sangha is used in two senses:

• the monastic community of monks and nuns (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, respectively), or
• the community of noble beings (āryapudgala).

The monastic communities are traditionally referred to as the bhikkhu-sangha and bhikkhuni-sangha.

The community of noble beings (āryapudgala) includes both monastics and lay persons who have attained a high level or realization. This community is referred to as the "arya sangha" (arya sangha).

In modern Western Buddhist communities, the term sangha is commonly used to refer to all the members of a particular community, whether lay or monasitc.

Traditionally, the term pariṣad ("followers") is used to refer to the larger Buddhist community of both monastics and ordinary lay persons.

Ideal vs. conventional sangha

Robinson et al. (2005) describe the two meanings of sangha as follows:

This word has two levels of meaning:

(1) on the ideal (arya) level, it denotes all of the Buddha’s followers, lay or ordained, who have at least attained the level of srotāpanna;

(2) on the conventional (saṃvṛti) level, it denotes the orders of the Bhikṣus and Bhikṣunis.}}

Robinson et al. also state:

The two meanings overlap but are not necessarily identical. Some members of the ideal Sangha are not ordained; some monastics have yet to acquire the Dharma-eye.

The original sangha

The original sangha refers to the first followers of the Buddha. The very first members of this sangha were the five ascetics, the five former companions of the Buddha who received his first teaching and immediately became his follers.

The sangha within the Three Jewels

Within Buddhism, the Sangha is identified as the third of the Three Jewels. In this context, the term sangha refers to the "sangha of the nobles ones" (arya sangha).

Qualities of the arya sangha

Pali tradition

In the Pali tradition, the noble sangha (aryiya sangha) is:

1. worthy of gifts
2. worthy of hospitalities
3. worthy of offerings
4. worthy of reverential salutation
5. the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

Sanskrit tradition

See also: Eight qualities of the Sangha

According to Maitreya's Uttaratantra Shastra, the sangha of the noble ones (arya sangha) has "eight qualities of knowledge and liberation" (T. rig grol gyi yon tan brgyad). These eight qualities are:

Knowledge of:

1) the profound nature of phenomena

2) the vast – phenomena in all their multiplicity

3) discriminating awareness wisdom

Liberation of:

4) attachment, the emotional obscurations

5) hindrance, the cognitive obscurations

6) the inferior – the obscurations of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas

And

7) knowledge; and

8) liberation.

See also

• Refuge

Further reading

• Sparham, Gareth (2004), "Sangha", in Buswell, Robert E., Encyclopedia of Buddhism, vol 2, Macmillan Reference USA, pp. 740–744 
• "Duties of the Sangha" by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
• Sangha, Wikipedia