A Sangha is a group of monks with more than 2 members. This is the “micro” definition. The “macro” definition refers to all monks who are the “sons” of the Buddha, born out of his mouth (because they become monks after listening to the words coming out of the Buddha’s mouth). Monks who live together are companions. They are taught by the Buddha to love each other in thought, speech, and action both openly and privately. Practically, this is only possible when each member in the Sangha is virtuous, loving, compassionate, joyous, and peace-loving.
Now at that time, venerable Anuruddha, venerable Nandiya and venerable Kimbila were staying in the Eastern Bamboo Grove. The Buddha went to visit them. “I hope things are going well with you, Anuruddhas, I hope you are keeping going, I hope you are not short of alms food?”
“Things are going well with us, Lord, we are keeping going, Lord, and, revered sir, we are not short of alms food.”
“I hope that you, Anuruddhas, are living all together on friendly terms and harmoniously, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection?”
“Yes, certainly, revered sir, we are living all together on friendly terms and harmoniously, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection.”
“And how is it that you, Anuruddhas, are living all together on friendly terms and harmoniously, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection?”
“Here, lord, the thought occurs to me, ‘It’s a gain for me, a great gain, that I’m living with companions like this in the holy life.’ I’m set on bodily acts, verbal acts and mental acts of goodwill with regard to these venerable ones, openly and privately. The thought occurs to me, ‘Why don’t I, having cast aside my own mind, conduct myself in line with the mind of these venerable ones?’ So, having cast aside my own mind, I conduct myself in line with the mind of these venerable ones. We are separate in body, lord, but one — as it were — in mind.” Then, venerable Nandiya and venerable Kimbila said the same.
“This, lord, is how we are living harmoniously, cordially, and without dispute, blending like milk and water, looking at one another with eyes of affection.”
“But, Anuruddhas, do you remain heedful, ardent, and resolute?”
“Yes, lord, we remain heedful, ardent, and resolute.”
“But, Anuruddhas, how do you remain heedful, ardent, and resolute?”
“Here, lord, whichever of us returns first from going to the village for alms, lays out the seats, sets out water for drinking and using, and sets out the refuse bucket. Whoever returns afterwards from going to the village for alms eats the leftovers — if there are any and if he wants to — and if not, he throws them out in a place where there are no crops or dumps them into water without living beings in it. He puts away the seats, puts away the water for drinking and using, puts away the refuse bucket after having washed it, and sweeps the meal hall. Whoever sees that the drinking-water jar, using-water jar, or rinsing-water jar in the bathroom are low or empty refills it. If it occurs to him, ‘It’s too much for me,’ he calls another by waving — using hand signals — and they refill the drinking-water jar or using-water jar by joining hands. But we don’t for that reason break into speech. And every five days we sit together for the whole night to discuss the Dhamma. That’s how we remain heedful, ardent, and resolute.”
“Excellent, Anuruddhas. Excellent.”
One may call himself a Buddhist when he takes refuge with the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. What is the purpose of the Sangha?
The Buddha said: “Just as a stick from a funeral pyre, burning at both ends and smeared with dung in the middle, can serve no useful purpose as fuel in the village or as timber in the forest – using such a simile do I speak of the person who is concerned neither with his own good nor the good of others. The person who is concerned with the good of others but not his own is more excellent and higher than this. The person who is concerned with his own good but not the good of others is more excellent and higher still. And he who is concerned with both his own good and the good of others – he is of the four persons the chief, the best, the topmost, the highest, the supreme.” A person who is not concerned with his own good is either the worst or second worst of the four types of persons. He cannot be trusted even if he is only concerned with the good of others; because he is either pretending to be selfless (but actually evil) or he is insane (due to years of brainwashing by religious doctrines). A person who pretends to be selfless is more dangerous than a person who is concerned only with his own good; because there is evil selfishness hiding behind the fake selflessness. A person who is concerned only with his own good doesn’t deserve to have a good friend; he only deserves to have a friend similar to himself who is not concerned with the good of others. In the end, he may have to live alone in isolation.
“And he who is concerned with both his own good and the good of others – he is of the four persons the chief, the best, the topmost, the highest, the supreme.” This is the purpose of the Sangha. Monks ensure the Buddha’s teaching can be passed down for countless generations; keeping the Wheel of Dhamma turning continuously. This is the first way the Sangha is beneficial both for its own good and the good of others. Learning from the Dhamma, monks and lay disciples develop loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), empathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha). They find true happiness and equanimity for themselves, and also bring happiness to the people around them. This is the second way the Sangha is beneficial both for its own good and the good of others.
Monks teach a Dhamma for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion. Monks practice for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion. Monks whose passion, aversion and delusion are abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising; they, in this world, are well-gone.
Monks teach the Dhamma through body language and speech. Unfortunately for lay people who couldn’t appreciate it, they can’t learn from the monks. Even if a monk doesn’t speak, his personal conduct in terms of virtue, equanimity and wisdom will serve to inspire other people, novice monks and lay disciples, to cultivate similar qualities in themselves. Anybody who slanders them as being selfish is blaming the blameless instead of praising the praiseworthy. The unwholesome karma can lead to bad outcomes.
Is the business of going-forth — as the Buddha and his disciples did — one that benefits countless beings, or only one being? Of these two practices — going-forth compared to making sacrifices — which appeals to you as the less difficult, the less violent, the more fruitful, and the more rewarding? — Sangarava Sutta AN 3.60. Monks who teach, practice and live according to Dhamma benefit countless beings. It is much more difficult and less violent to go forth than making sacrifices. It is much more fruitful and more rewarding to go forth than making sacrifices.
RESILIENT KID 