The Sangha
•
The Sangha is the community of monks and nuns
who give up everything to dedicate their lives to following Buddhism. The
Sangha began with the 5 ascetics who became arhats after the Buddha preached
his first sermon, Buddhists believe that the Sangha can be traced right back to
the Buddha, who ordained the first monks. The main purpose of the Sangha,
according to Denise Cush, is: “to spread the message of the Buddha and thus
enable people to gain enlightenment.” One role that the Sangha plays is
educating others about Buddhism.
•
Those who wish to become a Buddhist monastic
must take ‘refuge’ in the three ‘Jewels’ of the Buddha. They recite 3 times: “I
take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take
refuge in the sangha.” In the entry ceremony, a monk will shave their head,
choose a new name, and put on a Buddhist robe, showing that have renounced
their previous life.
•
Life in the sangha is governed by following
strict moral rules (227 in the Theravada tradition), as well as non-attachment
to possessions so being reliant on alms. Monks will dedicate their lives to
meditation and study, they will also spend time each year on a forest retreat
during the rainy season, this is a tradition which was started by the Buddha.
The Sangha in
Thailand
•
The Sangha used to be a huge part of the makeup
of Thai life. The King of Thailand is still required by law to be a Buddhist,
although Thailand is not officially a Buddhist country. The main form of
Buddhism practised in Thailand is Theravada. In the past, the Sangha was
central to the way that all of Thai society functioned: they performed family
rites (birth and death rituals), they were responsible for the education of
children, there was a Sangha for every local community which helped the members
of that community. The Sangha had close ties to the government and was seen as
a useful way of keeping society structured and organised, the way the Sangha
was organised mirrored local governments (as well as there being councils the
Sangha would influence people to make decisions). Buddhists were very well
respected in Thai society, particularly monks.
•
In modern times, the role of the Sangha has
changed: Thai society has changed and become more “Westernised”: people’s goals
are becoming centred around financial and material gain, particularly in
cities. People have also criticised the Sangha for becoming too focused on
status: people aim to be a high-ranking monk, instead of aiming to be a good
Buddhist. Less Thai people are attending temple and becoming monks, which could
suggest that Buddhism is becoming less important to Thai people, and so that
Sangha has a less important role. Today political campaigners are likely to use
the Sangha as a way of getting votes, particularly in rural areas where the
role of the Sangha is very similar to what it was 100 years ago.
•
People have different approaches to the Sangha
depending on where they live – in some places, joining the sangha is a lifelong
commitment and it would be extremely shameful for one to leave the sangha after
renouncing one’s life. However, in other places people may join the Sangha for
a short period of time – for example, it is common in Thailand for “novice”
monks to join the Sangha up to the age of seven – this is seen as a way for
their families to gain good punya (which can be sent to dead relatives to help
with their rebirth through punya rituals in the temple) and also is an
excellent way for young children to get an education and have a safe
upbringing.
•
Within today’s society, some Buddhist monks may
choose to complete renounce the temptations of society and become a forest/cave
dwellers. This can allow them to spend time in meditation and study, without
the distractions of daily life. It is perhaps more common in Eastern countries,
but is a response to the changing moral landscape of the 21st
century, and suggests that people want to get back to the original roots of
Buddhism. As academic interest in Buddhism has increased in the C21st, some
monks and nuns will dedicate their career to academic study of Buddhism and its
texts: for example, monks may spend time translating ancient texts from
classical language into modern vernacular to help people understand more about
Buddhism. This still helps them to fulfil the primary purpose of the Sangha: to
tell others about Buddhism, Buddhism can also be related to medical/mental
health practises, for example monks have been seen as excellent examples of
mindfulness behaviour. They may run courses for people to reduce stress and
help them cope with the pressures of daily life.
•
The monks and nuns in the Sangha are dependent
on the lay community for alms, and they will go on an alms round every day to
collect food. This in turn allows the laity to gain good punya which is
translated into good karma for their future rebirth. The relationship between
the laity and the Sangha is therefore mutually beneficial for all parties. In
return for alms and support with tasks such as repairing the temples and
receiving medicine, monks will teach the laity about the dharma, educate their
children, and perform temple rites such as funerals and weddings, which the
community rely on.
•
The Wat Phra Dhammakaya movement is a modern
Thai Buddhist movement - The Movement
uses modern technology: Television
broadcasting, setting up a university and distance learning degree about
Buddhism, created a searchable CD of the Pali Canon. It helps people make and share merit by:
encouraging blood donation, running
weekly meditation and retreats for the public to join with, ceremony of
“honouring the Buddha’s by food” to help people make merit by worshipping the
Buddha in pari-nirvana, raises money for charity, encourages people to go on
pilgrimage, social network: peace revolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment