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A la Carte - Lay Person and Monastic Relationship
Monastics and laypeople each have a clear role and practice: lay practitioners observe the five mindfulness trainings, monastics the ten precepts and mindful manners. By remaining true to one’s base—lay or monastic—each supports the other in freedom, stability, joy, and transformation. The Vinaya (precepts and mindful manners) is our teacher: practiced with intelligence and joy, it deepens our freedom rather than constraining us.
Sangha building is the most noble task of Engaged Buddhism, addressing real-life difficulties through collective practice. Key points include:
- Applying mindfulness, concentration, and insight to transform personal afflictions and conflicts
- Relying on one another—sharing strength, loving speech, and deep listening—to heal relationships
- Beginning practice “as a bricoleur,” using what is at hand (a path, a companion, a moment of mindful walking) to grow a practice center step by step
- Embracing “lazy days” as an art of true relaxation, where every activity is chosen for the pleasure and ease it brings
In the twenty-first century, individual happiness depends on collective harmony. By building stable, joyful Sanghas everywhere—like cells in a body or bees in a hive—we offer refuge, healing, and a fresh start for ourselves and for humanity.