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The Symphony of the Sangha
Practice is likened to a piece of music, requiring harmony between the six elements of the Sangha (Six Harmonies) and within each person (the five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness). When eating or sitting in meditation with mindfulness, every cell and mental formation in body and mind participates, creating an art of nourishment, transformation, and bringing happiness to oneself and to the larger community. The breath and the steps are like conductors, guiding everything to flow together in one “river”—a state where there is no longer dispersion or forgetfulness, but wholesome habit energy, a way of living with mindfulness.
Observing the sound of the bell (the signal of mindfulness) and keeping to the schedule is not merely a matter of organization, but arises from the self-motivation of each person’s ideal heart. If:
- upon hearing the three sounds of the bell, we stop all speaking and thinking
- we go immediately to the place of appointment
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we do not need reminders from the teacher or elder brothers
then each member naturally blends into the common symphony, setting an example for lay friends and strengthening the Sangha.
This year, the Sangha has many opportunities to practice and express the collective piece of music:
- The 21-day retreat based on the Anapanasati Sutra
- The Summer Opening retreat with young people from 40–50 countries
- The neuroscience retreat on memory, habit energy, and the store consciousness (alaya-vijnana)
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The proposal to extend the Rains Retreat by one month, following the experience of the Buddha with 1,000 monastics
All activities—eating sticky rice cakes, Christmas, New Year, Tet—become the ingredients, nourishing and completing the Sangha’s symphony.
Hand in Hand on the Same Path