First Published – June 17, 2012
In Buddhism, as I am sure you all know quite well, we have the Three Jewels. These three Jewels are the treasure in Buddhism and in our Buddhist lives. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha are these three jewels, without which there could be no Buddhism and without which our Buddhist practice becomes at best difficult.
It stands to reason why the Buddha is treasured, without our teacher there would be no Buddhism. The Buddha did not practice to attain enlightenment for himself, ultimately he turned his discovery outward. We can say, in a way, that the Buddha in that first teaching manifest the concept of Sangha, even from his first awareness that enlightenment was not something solely for himself.
The Sangha, as manifest by the entire universe, was witness to and present at the very moment of his enlightenment. So in a sense the Sangha, the enlightenment of the Buddha, and further the truth of Buddhism all occurred simultaneously.
Sometimes we may wish to separate these three, even going so far as to say the Sangha wasn’t evident until the Buddha approached his fellow ascetics and gave his first teaching to which they became the Buddha’s disciples. And of course that is perhaps the first physical manifestation of the appearance of Sangha. But in reality the Sangha was always there.
Sometimes people say to me, I wish I had a Sangha to practice with, or there is no one around me to join in my practice, or even I am all alone. There is of course some measure of truth to these claims, in that no one appears to be sitting beside you when you chant Odaimoku or recite the Sutras. But this is only one aspect of Sangha, perhaps the ‘self’ aspect because in the thinking process it begins with and resides principally revolving around self or individual.
But Sanghas are not single individuals, they are community, they are other. I have heard people say, well I don’t like so and so in my Sangha, or I would rather practice at home because I like my internet connections better, or they make me feel good. Again these are all self-centric. The beginning thought and the ending thought is about oneself, and further how others can be used to benefit one’s self.
“The merits of the fiftieth person who rejoices at hearing this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma are immeasurable, limitless, asamkhya. Needless to say, so are the merits of the first person who rejoices at hearing this sutra in the congregation.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XVIII)
There is of course the aspect of Sangha that serves to support the individual, but that is only part of the equation. Perhaps the greatest part is what you as an individual contribute to the Sangha. Instead of the focus being on what you can take away from the Sangha and whether or not it meets your criteria, or serves to directly benefit you, the focus should equally if not more so perhaps be on what you can contribute, to what you can give, to what you can bring to the Sangha in the form of your presence.
“Thereupon the gods rained mandarava-flowers, maha- mandaravaflowers, manjusaka-flowers, and maha-manjusaka-flowers upon the Buddha and the great multitude. The world of the Buddha quaked in the six ways. The great multitude of the congregation, which included bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, men, nonhuman beings, the kings of small countries, and the wheelturning- holy-kings, were astonished.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter I)
Another aspect of Sangha is the idea that everyone around you with whom you interact with is also your Sangha. You can provide care, support, encouragement, and example to many people in your life. In a sense stealth-teaching Buddhism. Your Sangha is not just who shows up at your door, but who you relate to in your life and how you value those connections and how you nurture those interactions.
“The hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings in this congregation like me followed the past Buddhas and received their teachings in their consecutive previous existences. They will respect and believe you. They will he able to have peace after the long night and obtain many benefits.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter II)
