Sangha

In Buddhism, a Sangha is a group of Buddhists or a Buddhist community, sharing the same perspective, values and beliefs. The Sangha is an important element of Buddhist practice. Today, it may be difficult to find a Buddhist Sangha, even more so, in finding one that resonates with you. In addition some of us may not be comfortable in groups, so perhaps a community of one may help us. A Sangha of one? When the term itself indicates a collection of people? It sounds like a contradiction, but that may not matter.

Transcript

Hello,

It's me,

Joe,

The Autistic Buddhist.

In this session,

I would like to speak to the Buddhist concept of the Sangha.

In Buddhism,

The word Sangha,

S-A-N-G-H-A,

Refers to a community,

Traditionally a community of Buddhist monks or practitioners.

In Christianity,

There is a scripture that states,

Where two or three gather together in my name,

I am there among them.

What this refers to is that when followers of Jesus,

Even just two of them,

Gather to worship then Jesus is present,

Simply put,

A Christian community of two.

I also apply this definition of community or Sangha to my Buddhist beliefs,

In the sense that if I have a friend who is a Buddhist and we meet to discuss the Buddha,

His teachings,

And also to support each other,

Then I consider that a Sangha of two.

Traditionally,

A Buddhist Sangha within a temple is a group composed of monks,

Nuns,

Laymen and laywomen.

But today,

There is a lot more flexibility in how a Sangha is defined.

For example,

There are online Buddhist Sanghas.

When I meditate,

I start my meditation by reciting the Three Jewels,

Or the Three Refuges,

As they are also known.

The Three Refuges are places where a Buddhist goes spiritually to seek solace and support.

The Three Jewels a Buddhist will seek refuge in are the Buddha,

His life and what he learned,

The Dharma,

The Buddhist teachings,

And the Sangha,

The Buddhist community.

For many autistic people and others as well,

It may be difficult to become involved and interact with a group of people even though they share the same beliefs and values.

But there is a concept of Sangha that I have,

Which I would like to present to you.

And that is the notion of a Sangha of one.

The first thing someone may say is that a Sangha,

By definition,

Is a collection of people.

And you can't have a Sangha just by yourself.

Well,

Maybe you can.

Let's look at what a Buddhist Sangha provides its members.

First,

It provides an honest appraisal of one's strengths and areas of development.

Second,

Honest feedback on how one is following or not following the Buddhist values.

Thirdly,

Instruction on how to meditate and follow the Buddhist precepts.

Fourth,

Interpersonal support when one may need a reassurance.

And lastly,

Participation,

The opportunity to interact with others sharing the same beliefs.

So if you're not completely comfortable with joining a Sangha or group,

And you want to develop your own Sangha of one first,

I would like to offer some suggestions as to how your Sangha of one may provide,

To a degree,

The same supports as a regular Sangha does.

So let's apply the previously mentioned aspects of Sangha to our Sangha of one.

First,

An honest appraisal of one's strengths and areas of development.

Who are the people or persons in your life who can help you in conducting a self-appraisal?

Can you objectively look at yourself and offer any suggestions that may assist you in looking within?

Sometimes,

I stand in front of the mirror and ask the reflection a question.

Then I wait for the answer to come up later.

Secondly,

Honest feedback on how one is following or not following the Buddhist values.

You can,

On your own,

Refer to the Buddhist values,

The Four Noble Truths,

The Eightfold Path,

And others.

How do you feel you are doing?

Remember,

The emphasis here is on learning,

Not judging.

If you're not as far along as you would like to be,

And start judging yourself,

Then tell the ego to stop bothering you,

And praise yourself for trying.

Instruction on how to meditate and follow the Buddhist precepts correctly.

You can do this online.

There are several Buddhist teachers who teach meditation on Insight Timer.

Remember,

Find a teacher that resonates with you.

Many teachers have different approaches,

And some may work for you,

And some may not.

Interpersonal support,

When one may need reassurance.

You can identify the people in your life you go to for support,

Who you trust.

Include them in your Sangha of One.

When I say include them,

I mean as you need them.

Participation,

The opportunity to interact with others,

Sharing the same beliefs.

This can also be achieved online as well.

On Insight Timer,

There are several groups that can offer you the opportunity to share,

Learn,

And get support.

This is the same as seeking teachers on Insight Timer.

Visit several groups,

And find out the one that works best for you.

When you think of the idea of a Sangha as a group of one,

It does seem like a contradiction.

By definition,

A Sangha is a collection of individuals who form a group.

So how does that reality fit into the idea of a one-person Sangha?

After all,

Who can the other members be?

The members of your Sangha are your thoughts,

Which you bring with you,

And your thoughts are with you all the time.

Sometimes,

Some thoughts are more predominant than others,

Especially when you are engaged in a task.

But I'm not speaking of those thoughts.

I'm speaking of the thoughts that are tied to emotions.

These are the thoughts that cause fear,

Hesitation,

Happiness,

Satisfaction,

And so on.

These emotional states are driven by thought.

So when you are in your Sangha of one,

These will be the active participants.

Your Sangha meetings are times when you are relaxed,

Alone,

Thinking,

And trying to apply spiritual solutions or resources to a particular issue.

For example,

There may be thoughts that ask you,

How do I feel about this?

Or thoughts that ask you,

Is there a spiritual solution that I can apply to help me given this issue?

Thoughts,

Yes,

But also Sangha members in your mind that need answer and clarification.

And how do you manage such questions from your inner Sangha members?

The same way you would do if you were in a Sangha of many.

You engage in respectful communication.

Allow me to clarify.

Assume that you are faced with a situation,

Not an easy one,

But not a difficult one either.

So you sit by yourself in silence.

Your thought,

Your Sangha member,

Is trying to figure out what to do.

Ask your thought,

What are the advantages and disadvantages of action versus inaction?

Practice patience as you would in talking to a Sangha member within a group.

Do you need to resolve this now?

Can it wait?

For how long can it wait?

In a Buddhist group,

You would speak to a Sangha member about this,

So pick a friend that you can trust and discuss it with them.

Be respectful.

If speaking to another person,

You would demonstrate respect.

So demonstrate that same respect towards yourself by not criticizing your thoughts or engaging in self-judgment.

You can practice patience by deciding not to decide.

You may have the option of not making a decision at that moment,

And that might be the right decision for you at that time.

Some of you may ask,

Joe,

What you're describing is a different form of meditation.

Respectfully,

I would disagree,

Because I see two differences between meditation and being your own Sangha.

The first is that in meditation,

You are not engaging with your thoughts.

In being a Sangha of one,

You are.

Secondly,

You do not enter meditation with a perspective or a goal in mind.

In your own Sangha,

You do enter the process with a perspective or goal,

And that perspective or goal is to seek a spiritual solution or resource to assist you.

In your own Sangha,

The perspective you are applying is a spiritual perspective,

As well as the question at hand.

For my mental health friends,

You would be applying a mental health perspective as well as a spiritual one.

So the process occurs within the context of your spirituality and your mental health.

Example,

What does my spirituality or spiritual beliefs say about deciding to take medication for my mental health?

As a solution,

I may decide that it makes clinical sense to take medication,

And my spiritual beliefs support the reduction of suffering,

Therefore the medical decision and my spirituality are in accord.

As for myself,

I have been a Sangha of one,

Due to my autism,

As I don't feel entirely comfortable in a free-flowing group,

As opposed to a task-centered group.

I have done a lot of research regarding my mental health and Buddhism,

Taken from my experience in working with traumatized children and families,

Attended many online sessions organized by Buddhist teachers,

And some learning sessions as well.

All these elements bring different thoughts when I consider certain things,

Similar to being in a group of people where each one of them has a different piece of advice to give me.

Consider creating your Sangha of one.

Perhaps it may help you in certain situations.

I hope it does.

I hope this session was of use to you,

And I wish you the best in becoming your own Sangha.

Thank you.

Reviews

Thank you Joe ! Especially for keeping it simple , real , and attainable . 🙏🏻

Thanks Joe! It's always good to hear your tracks. Being your own Sangha is such a creative way to practice with self inquiry.
Love and blessings to you

This is so useful! Having faced a lifelong struggle to “fit in” the concept of finding my own way, which I have always had to do, now seems validated. I find this very comforting. Thank you