Rolam
Sangha (Skt. saṅgha; P. saṅgha; T. dge ’dun; C. sengqie; J. sōgya; K. sŭngga 僧伽) can be litterarly translated as "community", "association", "assembly", etc. In modern Western Buddhist communities, the term is typically used to refer to all the members of a particular community, whether lay or monasitc. Sometimes the monastics within a community are referred to as the "monastic sangha".
In early Buddhist traditions, and in more traditional Buddhist communities (such as those in Southeast Asia), the term sangha is used to refer primarily to the monastic community of monks and nuns (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, respectively) and the community of arhats (those who have reached a high level of realization).
The monastic communities are traditionally referred to as the bhikkhu-sangha or bhikkhuni-sangha. The community of arhats, which includes both monastics and non-monastics, are referred to as the arya sangha ("noble Sangha").<ref>http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/triplegem.html</ref><ref>http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/sangha.html</ref>
Tartalomjegyzék
Definitions
In a glossary of Buddhist terms,<ref>Robinson et al.(2005). "Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction". Fifth Edition. Belmont,CA: Wadsworth/Thomson, p.327</ref> Richard Robinson et al. present a traditional definition of sangha: Sablon:Quote
Mahayana practitioners may use the word "Sangha" as a collective term for all Buddhists, but the Theravada Pāli Canon uses the word pariṣā (Sanskrit pariṣad) for the larger Buddhist community — the monks, nuns, lay men, and lay women who have taken the Three Refuges — with a few exceptions<ref>Todd Lewis, Buddhists: Understanding Buddhism Through the Lives of Practitioners, Chicester, 2014, p30 mentions this too. An example of such a sutra is AN II.1.vii Catukka nipata, Bhandagamavaggo https://archive.is/20130222111223/http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara2/4-catukkanipata/001-bhandagamavaggo-e.html</ref> reserving "Sangha" for a its original use in the Pāli Canon — the ideal (arya) and the conventional.<ref name="accesstoinsight.org">Sangha © 2005–2012.http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/sangha.html</ref><ref name="Robinsonet">Robinson et al.(2005). "Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction". Fifth Edition. Belmont,CA: Wadsworth/Thomson, p. 32.</ref><ref>"parisā". http://www.accesstoinsight.org/glossary.html</ref>
The original sangha
The original sangha refers to the first followers of the Buddha. The very first members of this sangha were the five ascetics, the five former companions of the Buddha who received his first teaching and immediately became his follers.
Three Jewels
Within Buddhism, the Sangha is identified as the third of the Three Jewels.<ref>Going for Refuge and Taking the Precepts, Kandy 1981, Wheel leaflet 282/284, Bhikku Bodhi, P 49 (Of the Collected Wheel publications XIX)</ref> Common over all schools is that the āryasaṅgha is the foremost form of this third jewel.
Qualities of the Sangha
Pali tradition
In the Theravada Pali tradition, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha each are described as having certain characteristics. These characteristics are chanted either on a daily basis and/or on Uposatha days, depending on the school of Buddhism. In Theravada tradition they are a part of daily chanting:
The Sangha: The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples (sāvakas) is:
- practicing the good way
- practicing the upright way
- practicing the knowledgeable or logical way
- practicing the proper way
That is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals - This Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is:
- worthy of gifts
- worthy of hospitalities
- worthy of offerings
- worthy of reverential salutation
- the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.<ref>Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000). "The Collected Discourses of the Buddha: A new translation of the Samyutta Nikaya". Somerville: Wisdom Publications, Sakkasamyutta, Dhajjaggasutta (3), p.319-321.</ref>[1][2][3]
