If the world is a Sangha, then the pain and the suffering of the Middle East should be the object of its embrace. How for the whole human family to become aware of this suffering? How for the whole human family to embrace tenderly that suffering in the Middle East? And that continued awareness and concentration will bring about the insight that can elevate the suffering and transformation of the suffering. Because when we hold our suffering in mindfulness, we will come to an understanding of the nature of that suffering. We will have the insight as what to do, how to do in order to bring an end to that suffering. But as it is now, humanity is not a sangha yet. We don't have enough mindfulness. We don't have enough concentration. We are not in a position to embrace the Middle East with all our concentration. We are too dispersed. We are thinking of one million things at the same time.

The human family is not a Sangha yet. That is a reality. We are concerned about our own interests, our own cravings. That's why we pay very little attention, very little mindfulness, concentration to the suffering of the Middle East. If you have the fortune of having a Sangha, then you should allow the practice to be in a Sangha scale. Don't consider your suffering to be something that belongs only to you. You come to the Sangha and you say, "Dear Sangha, this is my pain, this is my suffering. I need the Sangha to be aware and to embrace my suffering." And then during the sitting, during the walking, during the eating, the Sangha will embrace your suffering tenderly. And you feel relief right away. Right away. Because you are no longer locked into your so-called self. You have opened up yourself. You have become a Sangha. And the moment when you become a Sangha, you trust the Sangha, you surrender to the Sangha, your affliction begins to dissolve. The suffering is dissolved. This is a wonderful thing. This is a very drastic change already.