A question about the three Refuges...

johnathan

OK, so I recite the 3 refuges every morning when I get up and I have been wondering if one can take refuge in the Sangha if they do not attend a Sangha. Can a practitioner without current access to a Sangha justifiably view a website such as this as a Sangha or are they just blowing smoke to suit their own needs?

I am looking into a Theravada Sangha about 30 km away but for now am wondering if my reciting the third refuge is an empty act with no reality to support it.

FoibleFull

In Tibetan Buddhism, "sangha" refers to the deities, the various aspects of Buddha.

It can also refer to the body of ordained monks and nuns, those who carry on the tradition and the teachings, and serve as our inspiration.

Sangha can also refer to any group that gets together to practice Buddhism.

But when you take refuge in the sangha, you are taking refuge in those who are enlightened, or at least further down the path, and can act as guides for us.

GuyC

In Theravada, Sangha refers to a community of monks or nuns. I live about 30km away from my Dhamma center but I usually go at least once per week and never regret it. It can be a great feeling to bow to the "banner of the Arahants" (monk's robes are sometimes called this).

johnathan

Hmmm... (thanks for the responses FoibleFull and GuyC) By GuyC's response it doesn't sound like the center I'm looking at will fit the bill, the internet blip about them says:

<address style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Theravada BuddhistCommunity(Sri Lankan)</address> <address style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">
</address> <address style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Activities: Monthly gatherings (meditation, dharma discussions, chants). Vishaka days.</address> <address style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Teacher: No temple, no resident monk. Theravada monks visit from other parts of Canada from time to time.

But according to FF's post (last line) it might suffice...

What say the rest of you?


</address> <address style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">
</address>

Jason

GuyC wrote: »

In Theravada, Sangha refers to a community of monks or nuns. I live about 30km away from my Dhamma center but I usually go at least once per week and never regret it. It can be a great feeling to bow to the "banner of the Arahants" (monk's robes are sometimes called this).

In the conventional sense, yes, but as Thanissaro Bhikkhu points out, it also refers to "people, lay or ordained, who have practiced the Dhamma to the point of gaining at least a glimpse of the Deathless" (Refuge).

Jason

johnathan wrote: »

OK, so I recite the 3 refuges every morning when I get up and I have been wondering if one can take refuge in the Sangha if they do not attend a Sangha.

Of course. Not everyone has access to a Sangha, whether lay or ordained; and as Thanissaro Bhikkhu points in his short book, Refuge, "On the internal level, the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha are the skillful qualities we develop in our own minds in imitation of our external models." What this means is that when you take refuge in the Sangha, you're not only taking refuge in the community of monks and nuns and anyone who has gained a taste of awakening, but you're also taking refuge in the skillful qualities the Sangha represents and, ideally, possesses. Moreover, according to Bhikkhu Bodhi, "Strictly speaking, as soon as there arises in his mind an act of consciousness which takes the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha as his guiding ideal, that person has gone for refuge to the Triple Gem and become a Buddhist lay disciple" (Going for Refuge & Taking the Precepts).

GuyC

It is nice to have ordained Sangha members, but if none are available then just practice the best you can with what you do have available (such as the excellent resources on the internet) such as http://www.accesstoinsight.org where you can access English translations of the Suttas. You also can watch a good Dhamma talk on youtube, which is about as close as it gets to actually going to a real life Dhamma talk.

seeker242

I have been wondering if one can take refuge in the Sangha if they do not attend a Sangha.

You can if you view all sentient beings as your Sangha because you attend that Sangha everyday

not1not2

I don't have a local Buddhist Sangha myself, but I do read/listen/watch Dharma discussions by advanced practitioners. It's not quite the same as putting myself in a community of practitioners, but it still speaks to the spirit of going to the Sangha for refuge, imo.

Javelin

Taking refuge is entirely a mental act. It is to uphold convictions that the Buddha did indeed achieve a state of full enlightenment (peace/harmony), that his teachings can guide others (and you) to this state, and that indeed many others have done so since his time.

In a sense, it is a strong belief that you are on the right path.....and that whatsoever comes to be, your answers will be found in the Buddha's Dharma. The true support that you require is effort--put forth effort to understanding the Dharma, and practicing insight meditation.

Namaste

not1not2

While refuge is most importantly an intentional act, it is also ideally something one attempts to bring into one's physical life as well. Here's good essay by Bhikkhu Bodhi on the value of spiritual friendship:

http://www.bps.lk/newaletters/nl_57.html

People new to Buddhism often take the Dharma to be a purely individual path of spiritual development. They imagine that the only correct way to follow the Dharma is to lock oneself up in one’s room, turn off the lights, and devote all one’s efforts to practicing meditation. However, if we look at the Buddhist texts, we would see that the Buddha again and again stressed the value of spiritual friendship as a support for the Buddhist path throughout the entire course of its practice. On one occasion the Venerable Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant, came to the Buddha and said that in his view half the spiritual life revolves around spiritual friendship. The Buddha immediately corrected him and said, “Do not say this, Ananda! Do not say this, Ananda! Spiritual friendship is not half the spiritual life. It’s the entire spiritual life!” Then, with reference to himself, the Buddha added, “In this whole world, I am the supreme spiritual friend of living beings, because it is in dependence upon me, by relying upon me, that those who are subject to birth, old age, and death become liberated from birth, old age, and death.”

The essay goes on later:

So, if we cast our mental eye out upon the world, we can see that on a given Saturday night many people will go out to night clubs to enjoy themselves dancing; others will go to bars to enjoy drinking and chatting together; others might go to sports matches; others will get together and watch crude films. That is what unites them in friendship. So this is how people of inferior disposition come together and unite.

But others come together to listen to Dharma talks, participate in meditation retreats, and study the Dharma. In this case, what unites them is a shared dedication to the Dharma. So, the defining characteristic of spiritual friendship is dedication to a common teaching, in this case, the Buddha’s teaching. This is dedication to a common teaching, dedication to the practice of the same path, dedication based on similar ideals and aspirations, unity based on engagement in similar practices. To unite with others in a common dedication to the spiritual path has a strengthening and uplifting effect upon our own practice. When we try to practice the path alone, we may feel as though we are walking through a desert. It can be very lonesome, the landscape around us is rough and barren, and we have no refreshment, no inspiration from others to replenish our energies. But when we unite with others in spiritual friendship based upon common aspirations, this reinforces our own energies. When we walk a common path and engage in common practices, we gain encouragement, strength, and inspiration to continue in our practice. This is like crossing the desert in a caravan: others help us carry the supplies, we can pause for conversation, we have a sense of sharing the trials along the way, and we rejoice together as we approach our destination.

This can be very difficult without leaving one's life, but I think it's good to at least convene and meet with those who also attempt to follow the path. Even if that just means being on a forum or going to a Dharma center once a month. Doing so encourages us along the way and gives us peers and leaders to check in with. This is very valuable in a largely Adharmic society, imo.