Sangha

The sangha is a monastic organization that has been an integral part of Buddhist and Jain traditions throughout recorded history. As Buddhist and Jain traditions spread across the world, so did their monasticism. One of the sanghas of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition traces its migration from India to China, China to Korea, Korea to Japan, and most recently Japan to the United States and Brazil. In contemporary times, the largest sangha is of the Thai Theravada Buddhist tradition and has members in more than 28 countries. Overall, ordained sangha members in the Buddhist and Jain traditions number more than 1.5 million [Page 1121]worldwide. Jain and Buddhist traditions contain different definitions for the term sangha. For some of the more liberal minded, sangha simply implies its direct Sanskrit translation, “community.” In this broad definition, the scope of sangha is representative of globalization. As technology pulls people together, the term community becomes broader in context than that of a specific physical locality. In other definitions, sangha is meant contextually as a Buddhist or Jain community. However, most commonly, sangha is used as a referent for a monastic organization.

The founders of Buddhist and Jain traditions in the fifth century BCE formed sanghas to assist people in their spiritual development. Both the Buddha and Mahavira were princes before they embarked on their religious paths. As a result, each could draw on his experience with statecraft. Sanghas were styled after the gana-sanghas, regional oligarchies that were endemic to the politics of South Asia. In both Jain and Buddhist traditions, people renounce their householder lifestyle and ordain into the familial ascetic environment of a monastery. Traditionally, newly ordained members of a sangha shave their heads and relinquish all ties to their former lifestyle as a symbol of devotion to their new calling. Jain monks (Sanskrit muni) and nuns (Sanskrit sadhvi) are known for adhering to ascetic guidelines that are stricter than those in the Buddhist sanghas. Both Jains and Buddhist monks (Sanskrit bhik.su) and nuns (Sanskrit bhik.sun.ō) follow a set of rules that dictate their livelihood. In this manner, sangha members act as role models for their communities. In Buddhist traditions, the sangha is considered one of its three most sacred elements, the other two being Buddha and Dharma (teachings). The monastic organization is the bearer of the Buddhist teachings, and Buddhist laws derive from the monastic order called the vinaya. Historically, sanghas have legitimated different states and rulers, and more recently, Buddhist sanghas were involved in nation building.

Sanghas in the 21st century include a greater diversity and number of peoples than ever before. This diversity reflects the growth and change within communities worldwide. Thus, sanghas are a global infrastructure for Buddhist and Jain diasporas around the world.