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Mindfulness and Sangha: Walking the Path of Collective Wisdom and Compassion
Thay speaks of the urgency of Sangha building. He begins by saying the Buddha is the Sangha, and we nourish him in every breath and step we take. By stepping mindfully, we can walk in the Kingdom of God or the Pure Land any time we want. Thay emphasizes that ours is a culture addicted to doing, but we don’t need to “do” anything at all. We must simply be in peace. In building Sangha—especially a global Sangha—the Six Togethernesses and the Five Mindfulness Trainings are key. The birth of Mahayana Buddhism introduced the idea of focusing on the enlightenment of all beings, not just the individual. This is the work of the bodhisattva and is foundational to Sangha building. The main message of Mahayana Buddhism is that everyone can become a buddha. Each of us is nurtured by the Dharma rain, and we can engage in the joyous activity of building sangha wherever we are.
This is the second talk in a series of thirteen given during The Hands of the Buddha, twenty-one-day retreat in the year 2002. Thay offered this talk at the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.