Sangha is Definition of the term, features, interesting facts

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Sanhga is a Buddhist community. Sometimes the whole religious brotherhood is also called as a whole. Initially, the same word meant all the disciples of Shakyamuni, who were reflected in the mythical tales associated with Buddhism. Later, a member of the Buddhist sangha became the one who took the appropriate vows - they were both lay and monastic.

Different meanings

The traditional sangha includes monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. The presence of such a society suggests that Buddhist teachings have spread throughout the state. And at the same time, the word is applied in a narrower sense when a person takes refuge. The Sangha is the community of those who have become free from the illusions of "ego".

At the monks

Initially, such a community was approved by Gautama Buddha in the 5th century BC. He thus provided the means for those wishing to practice the Dharma throughout the day, being free from everyday life. The Buddhist traditional sangha, in addition, has another important role: it preserves the teachings of the Buddha, supports spiritually those who follow his path.

The main nuance of the monasticism of this religionis considered to be a connection with Guilt, which contains many behavioral norms. For example, monks lead a chaste life, eating only until noon. The entire remaining period of time is devoted to the study of the Holy Scriptures, singing and meditation. If someone violates these provisions, it threatens to be excluded from the community.

It is noteworthy that Tendai, the founder of the Japanese movement, reduced the number of restrictions to 60. And many schools that appeared later, the Vinaya were completely replaced. For this reason, the adherents of Japanese schools have a priesthood. This is not monasticism.

Restrictions

Monastic life in the Sangha is about giving up most of your possessions. Of the property remain 3 robes, a bowl, cloth, needles and threads, a razor and a water filter. As a rule, the list is supplemented by one or two personal items.

By tradition, the monks do not wear casual clothes. Initially, their robes were sewn from cuts of fabric and dyed with earth. A theory has been put forward that saffron was once used for painting. But this was hardly possible, since this product was considered expensive at all times, and the monks were poor. The colors of the robes at the moment indicate that the monks belong to one or another current.

The monks were called "bhikkhu", which translates as "beggar". They usually asked for food. And the lay people fed these people in exchange for providing them with luck in subsequent reincarnations. Despite the fact that Indian monks did not work, with the advent of religion in Asian and Chinese countries, they began toagriculture.

Myths

It is a delusion that belonging to the Sangha is a mandatory vegetarianism. Indeed, a number of suras do not recommend eating meat products. However, it is known that in the Pali canon, which was compiled 300 years after the Buddha's parinirvana, the latter refused to put forward vegetarianism as a requirement in the Sangha. He considered it a personal choice for each practitioner.

At the same time, in a number of countries, monks, as a rule, take appropriate vows and stop eating meat. Tibetan traditions do not include such a vow. As a rule, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese monks do not eat meat, while Japanese and Tibetan monks do not make such vows without fail.

In the Mahayana Sutras, the Buddha proclaims that any lay person can achieve enlightenment. But there is a common myth in Western traditions that enlightenment is impossible outside of the sangha. There is a story in the sutras about how the Buddha's uncle, a layman, achieved enlightenment by listening to the Buddha's speeches.

In teachings

The Sangha is hailed as the third of the jewels. In the teachings, its 3 levels are distinguished: arya-sangha, bhikshu-sangha, maha-sangha. The first is translated as "holy." Arya is always considered sacred in Buddhism. And an arya-sangha is a community of saints who have certain achievements, spiritual experiences. Such personalities are spiritually united, despite the fact that they do not contact in physical shells. The Sangha of this level is precisely the spiritual community, represented by people of various eras,states. Disunity in time and space does not exist for them.

The Bhiksha Sangha is a monastic community. It is hardly possible to imagine how many monks and nuns existed in the most ancient monasteries. It is known that a Tibetan monastery with 500 monks was considered small. There have always been many bhikkhus living in such formations.

Finally, the Maha Sangha is the gathering of all who have gone for Refuge in one way or another, following some instructions. These are all people who have accepted Buddhist principles or truths, regardless of what lifestyle they lead. The Maha Sangha has the most representatives.

Dharma Sangha

The word "sangha" could also be heard in the context of the story about the young man. His real name is Dharma Sangha and he spent 6 years meditating without food or water. The attention of the whole world was drawn to him, including enlightened minds.

At the age of 15, the young man was inspired by the example of the Buddha and sat down to meditate in the jungle, achieving deep concentration, from which he did not leave for 6 years. It is known that he was bitten twice by a snake, from the poison of which a person can die. But he endured it quite calmly. He perspired profusely, due to which all the poison was removed from the body.

Someone claimed that it was on this day that the young man gained enlightenment. People have been coming here since 2005. All the witnesses said that Dharma Sangha sat motionless, did not eat or drink, did not move from his seat. Tours began to take place here. Then the young man moved to another, quieter place.

Camera crews several timestried to get close to him to find out if the young man really lives all this time without food and water. The Discovery Channel filmed 96 hours of continuous footage of the young man sitting under the tree, finding that he hadn't moved in all that time despite the cold and changing weather. No supplies of water, food or pipes were found near the tree. The youth's body showed no signs of physical degradation caused by dehydration.

Sangha in Russia

At the moment, there is a Buddhist community on Russian territory. The head of the traditional sangha of Russia is Pandito Khambo Lama, a native of the Chita region. Under his leadership, several datsans were opened in the country, and international relations developed.

Buddhism is considered one of the most popular religions in the country. He is traditionally confessed in Transbaikalia, Altai, Kalmykia, Tuva and Buryatia.

In recent years, the Buddhist traditional sangha has spread in Russia to Moscow and St. Petersburg. In these cities, the number of Buddhists is 1% of the total population, there is a tendency to increase the number of followers of this world religion.

History

It is known that the roots of the Buddhist sangha of Russia goes back to antiquity. The first mention of Buddhists in Russia dates back to the 8th century. It was associated with the Bohai country, located in the Amur region. It was a state created under the influence of Chinese and Korean traditions. Religion in it was Buddhist. Its Tibetan form spread to Russia in the 17th century. When the tribesKalmyks took Russian citizenship, there was a spread of this trend among the Buryats. At that time, Tibetan lamas were fleeing political events in their homeland.

In 1741, a decree was issued by the Siberian authorities. He established the permissible number of datsans and lamas on the territory of the Russian Empire. This was not an official recognition of this world religion, but at the same time made the Buddhist clergy legitimate. It was officially recognized by Catherine II in 1764, when the post of Pandita Khambo Lama was established in the Russian Empire. In the 19th century, the confession of these religious teachings was recognized as legal.

But when in the Soviet years, in the 1930s, several uprisings in datsans against the new government thundered, the USSR began the fight against Buddhism. In 1941, not a single datsan remained on the territory of the country, the lamas were repressed. It was officially admitted that this was done in order to destroy the Japanese sabotage network.

The Pravda newspaper published articles about how Japanese intelligence officers pretended to be Buddhist preachers, opened datsans, creating bases for further sabotage. Japan, on the other hand, acted as patrons for peoples who from time immemorial followed Buddhist traditions, which are now prohibited on the territory of the USSR. This country actively attracted the Mongols and Buryats to its side. Many monks on Russian territory were dissatisfied with the actions of the Soviet authorities. They made contact with representatives of Japanese intelligence and the army. Stalin adopted tough repressivemeasures.

Rebirth

Religion began to revive on Russian territory in 1945, after Japan was defeated in the war, and believers asked to build the Ivolginsky datsan. And the Soviet government agreed to this. This datsan became the residence for the lama, the head of the Soviet Buddhists.

At the same time, the state allowed representatives of certain nationalities to be Buddhists. If Buddhism was accepted by representatives of other nations, for whom it had never been traditional, the authorities treated them negatively, considering them dangerous. And often they hid underground until the end of the 20th century. But with the liberalization of society and the collapse of the USSR, the situation has changed radically.

After the collapse of the USSR

In 1990, more than 10 datsans were opened in the country, and the construction of several more began. In 1996, the concept of the traditional Buddhist Sangha of Russia was introduced in the new Charter. She became a member of the World Fellowship of Buddhists. Includes several organizations, centers associated with this world religion.

It should be noted that at the moment in the Russian Federation there is still no centralized institution that would unite all the Buddhists of the country. There are separate communities associated with different directions.

Current situation

At the moment, Buddhism is becoming more and more popular among the indigenous Russian population, as well as representatives of other nationalities. In the Russian Federation, Buddhism is officially proclaimed 1 out of 4 traditional religions for the country, along withIslam, Judaism and Orthodoxy.

The number of Buddhists in the country is about 1,000,000 people. Increasingly, datsans appear in areas that are not traditional for Buddhist movements in the country. It is known that datsans opened in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Samara, and that the current trend is such that the flow of people to them is increasing.