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Sit for the Sangha

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 29, 2005 · Plum Village, France · Audio Only
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Sitting meditation as a cell of the Sangha body, not as a separate island
– Sitting upright, with a stable back, is an offering to the entire Sangha; each in-breath brings happiness to all, each out-breath gently shares, smiling is for the Sangha, not for the individual
– Practicing like this helps us break out of the shell of the self, to become non-local, non-temporal, to live with no-self, unborn and undying, right in the present moment

The Sangha body is a social body operating on the Six Harmonies

  1. Harmony in dwelling together: living under one roof, sharing conveniences
  2. Harmony in sharing benefits: when someone lacks, we fill in; when someone has more, we offer to others
    When the Sangha meets, if there is suffering (quarreling, difficult attitudes, etc.), we need to gather like an immune response to heal: not to punish, but to use mindfulness and compassion to shine light, embrace, support each other, and to transform difficulties into reconciliation
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