Sangha (Sanskrit: सङ्घ saṃgha , n.m.; Pali: saṅgha), a word literally meaning "multitude" but which can be translated as "community," refers to the monastic community made up of bhikshu and bhikkhuni.
However, in a more restricted sense, the sangha is the spiritual community of the arya-bodhisattva (the four noble beings), or the arya (superiors) who have already attained a direct perception of the emptiness of phenomena, the first of the bodhisattva lands (a certain level of spiritual realization).
This is referred to as the "sublime saṅgha," the object of Buddhist refuge, as opposed to the "ordinary Sangha," consisting of all the monks and nuns who have not yet entered the path of enlightenment.
This sublime sangha constitutes one of the Three Jewels - along with the Buddha and the Dharma - in which every monk, and many Buddhists, take refuge daily by reciting the formula: "I go to the Buddha, the Dharma and the sangha as to a refuge."
The Buddha's organization of the sangha laid the foundation for Buddhist monasticism. And this community is probably the first example of a structured community that we know of.
A polysemous term
There has been much discussion in Buddhist literature about what the sangha is, what constitutes it, especially in the case of the sangha that is one of the Three Treasures. One of the oldest categories is the eightfold sangha, which incorporates only those who have attained a certain level of spiritual realization.
One of the oldest categories is the eightfold sangha, which includes only those who have reached a certain level of spiritual realization. In fact, there are four groups of noble beings (caturāryapudgala), each group being at a more or less advanced stage.
These are the ones who constitute the sangha as the third jewel of the Three Treasures. The doubling from four to eight is due to the fact that in each of the four groups a distinction has been made between those who are approaching one of the stages and those who are there. Later, the distinctions were enriched to twenty, forming a group called the "twenty-member sangha.
In either case (eight or twenty), these are noble beings (in the religious sense of arya pudgala), sometimes ordained, and are also called "supreme sangha" (Angl. ultimate / Sanskrit: paramârtthasamgha), which must be distinguished from the "conventional sangha" (Sanskrit: samvritisamgha) composed of monks and nuns who are always ordinary people, pṛthagjana, in other words people who have not yet entered the path of enlightenment.
It is this supreme sangha that is the third jewel (next to the Buddha and the Dharma) in which one takes refuge.
In a broader sense, sangha is also used to refer to four categories of people: monks, nuns, male lay disciples (upâsaka) and female lay disciples (upâsikâ ). However, this group is often referred to as "followers, congregation" (Sanskrit: parisad), suggesting that the word "sangha" refers more to the community of ordained people.
Moreover, in history, the official presence of Buddhism in a country has often been linked to the presence of ordained monks who keep the precepts. Another sign of the establishment of Buddhism in a country is the founding of a first and the ordination of first monks.
Richard Robinson et al. summarize the main distinction in sangha as follows: "first, at the ideal (arya) level, [sangha] refers to all disciples of the Buddha, lay or ordained, who have at least attained the level of srotāpanna; second, at the conventional (saṃvṛti) level, it refers to the Bhiksus and Bhiksuni orders."
They continue: "The Pali Canon uses the word parisa (or parisad) to refer to the broader Buddhist community-the monks, nuns, and lay men and women who have taken the three refuges-and reserves the word 'Sangha' for a more restricted use.
In Pali usage, the Sangha in the sense of arya (ideal) consists of all persons, lay or ordained, who have acquired the pure eye of the Dharma, obtaining at least a glimpse of the Deathless. ". Thus, "the two meanings [of the word] overlap without necessarily being identical. Some members of the ideal Sangha are not ordained; some monks have not yet acquired the Dharma eye."
Synthesis
"Sangha" can be translated as "community", "congregation", "assembly ". In practice, therefore, the sangha can be said to include bhikkhus (monks), bhikkhuni (nuns), upâsaka (lay men), and upâsikâ (lay women) in a broad sense. These four categories constitute the Buddhist community as such.
However, the word was soon applied mainly to "renunciants" who embraced the monastic life, since this type of life was the most likely to allow one to escape the cycle of existences (samsâra).
The word therefore most often refers to Buddhist monastic communities of monks or nuns, and one then traditionally speaks of bhikkhu-sangha for the former and bhikkhuni-sangha for the latter. And as we have seen above, within this community, those who have attained a higher level of realization - and thus entered the path - are identified as ariya-sangha or "noble Sangha".
The distinction is summarized by Richard Robinson et al. as follows: "first, at the ideal level (arya), [the word] refers to all disciples of the Buddha, lay or ordained, who have at least attained the level of srotāpanna; second, at the conventional level (saṃvṛti), it refers to the Bhiksus and Bhiksuni orders."
Today
In the West today, "sangha" applies to any Buddhist community, whether ordained, lay, or a mixture of the two. Melford Spiro also notes this difference in time. Melford Spiro also notes this difference in time:
"Unlike the sangha of today, the original sangha saw itself as following the mission set by the master, namely to go " on a tour for the blessing of the many, for the happiness of the many out of compassion for the world, for the welfare, the blessing, the happiness of the deva (gods) and of mankind."
Story
The samgha is probably the first example of a structured community that we know of. This community is not centered on a master, but on a doctrine that it has the mission of transmitting in its integrity. It gradually developed and spread, admitting men and women, but keeping them strictly separate.
The beginnings
The community was founded after the so-called "Benares sermon", the first teaching that the Buddha gave after his awakening to a group of five former companions, known as the "five of the happy group ". These five people were converted as a result of this discourse, and from that moment on "the Community of Buddhist monks (sangha) was founded and formed a group of saints. "
