We continue to listen to Sangharakshitaand#8217;s thoughts on creating sangha in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Genuine Spiritual Community.and#8221; From the talk and#8220;The Sangha or Buddhist Communityand#8221; given in 1968 as part of the series and#8220;Introducing the Three Jewels of Buddhism.and#8221;
Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio
Genuine Spiritual Community
[music] Dharma Bites is brought to you by Free Buddhist Audio, the Dharma for your life. Our work is funded entirely by donations from our generous listeners. If you would like to help us keep this free, make a contribution at freebuddhistaudio.com/donate. Thank you, and happy listening. Let me conclude by quoting a verse from the Dhammapada, a collection of the Buddhist teachings in Pali. The Buddha says, "Sukho Bhutan and Upada." "Sukhah sa tarma daisuna." "Sukhah sa ngasasthamagi." "Sama-ganan tapu sukha." And this means, "Sukho Bhutan and Upada." Happy, blissful, is the arising of the Buddhas. If anyone gains enlightenment, if a Buddha is born, if a Buddha comes into existence, this is a happy thing, it's for the good of the whole world, for the whole of humanity. "Sukhah sa tarma daisuna." Happy, blessed, blissful, is the preaching of the true law, the true doctrine, the true Dharma. This also is for everybody's benefit. "Sukhah sa ngasasthamagi." The happy, blissful, is the unity, literally the "sama-gi," the same path-headness, the going the same way of the Sangha, the spiritual community, of the followers and disciples of the Buddha. "Sama-ganan tapu sukha." Such, it usually translates as "United spiritual effort," but it's more than a tapu. This means to burn, it's hate. And it means in Indian, it's just a skettish system, more spiritual practice, because it's like a sort of fire burning up all impurities. So this sort of fiery blazing spiritual practice, "Sama-ganan," of those who are united, of those who are following the same path, is sukha, is blessed. So this is what the Buddha has to say very beautifully about the arising of the Buddha, the enlightened ones, about the propagation of the Dharma, the teaching, and about the unity and united practice of the Sangha. Many of us, as some of you know, feel very strongly, indeed, that unless and until in this country there is a real, a genuine, a united spiritual community of Buddhist, not just a distant ideal of enlightenment, not even just a teaching, much less still just societies and organizations in the ordinary sense, but the lesson until there is a spiritual community of people who are committed and dedicated in actually following the path in bearing degrees. Unless in other words there's an order, a Western Buddhist order, then there is no real future for the Buddhist movement in the Western. This is why, as many of you know, we have just very recently established this Western Buddhist order as the latest formulation along traditional lines of the Sangha, the spiritual community. We hope you enjoyed today's Dharma Bite. Please help us keep this free. Make a contribution at freebuddhistaudio.com/donate. And thank you. [music] [music] [music] You