Importance of Sangha
Being an engaged Buddhist is not easy without the support offered by sangha. To change ourselves and to change the way we parent our children is not easy. In our wider community, Buddhist parenting is not common. Therefore there are no readily available role models.
The importance of a strong sangha cannot be underestimated. Thich Nhat Hanh has stressed the importance of sangha building as the key to creating a stable foundation for our practice. He wrote in The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching “Dharma books and tapes are valuable, but the true Dharma is revealed through our life and our practice…There are said to be 84,000 Dharma doors…To take refuge in the Dharma is to choose the doors that are most appropriate for us. Dharma is great compassion, understanding, and love. To realize these qualities, we need a sangha…When a sangha shines its light on our personal views, we see more clearly. In the sangha, we won’t fall into negative habit patterns.”
We need to have a strong sangha not only for ourselves, but for our children and for our family as a whole. The support of sangha can help us to overcome deeply ingrained habits that are counterproductive to living an engaged Buddhist family life.
The Buddha emphasised the importance of sangha on the spiritual path. Buddhist practice must include all aspects of one’s life. Trying to separate one’s spiritual life from one’s material needs is likely to result in serious self-alienation, and misses the whole purpose of the Buddhist path. In this way the sangha must be part of our everyday life.
The association with sangha is equally important for our children, who can be strongly influenced by the people around them. They model other children’s behaviour. Association with sangha means the effort you put into supporting them to adopt skilful practices will be reinforced by what they see within other families.
A short story from the sutras shows the importance Buddha placed on sangha.
Ananda, Lord Buddha's long-time personal attendant and monk-disciple, asks Buddha:
"Lord, is it true what has been said, that good spiritual friends are fully half of the holy life?"
The Master replied, "No, Ananda, good spiritual friends are the whole of the holy life. Find refuge in the sangha community."