Dharma practice is often described as swimming upstream or going against the grain. Based in ignorance, the untrained heart and mind sees what is impermanent as permanent, what is suffering as happiness, and what is not self as self. In the Dvayatānupassanā Sutta (Sn 3.12) the Buddha talks about how what ordinary people see as suffering, the noble ones experience as happiness. In brief, clinging and craving is seen as the way to happiness by people who don’t see clearly. For ones that do, it’s the abandonment of clinging and craving that is known to lead to happiness. So, the vast majority of the people in this world have got it backwards. This expression of ignorance shapes the cultures and societies around the world, particularly the ones who dominate global culture. The sheer momentum of this movement is so easy to get caught up in. That’s why the Buddha referred to it as the flood. The heart and mind literally get flooded by the manifestations of ignorance and get swept away into suffering.
This is the current we are swimming against, and so we need support. There are many ways to garner such support. Things that can, in a moment, lift the heart above the morass of the flood waters and see or feel a different direction. Reflecting on one’s generosity, reflecting on one’s ethical conduct, cultivating the Brahma Viharas, devotional practices such as chanting and bowing, and reflecting on the qualities of the Buddha are some that come to mind. One that perhaps is most powerful at helping us swim upstream is Sangha.
Taking refuge in, and cultivating Sangha allows us to not feel so alone in our Dharma endeavors. What we are trying to cultivate can feel (because it is!) so dissonant from what is being espoused in popular culture that we can feel overwhelmed and even begin to doubt if what we are doing is possible or even makes sense. So just knowing that others are doing the same, let alone knowing them and relating with them, helps to keep us on the path.
As we relate to others in our Sangha, we get to witness wholesome speech and action. Our hearts resonate with Mudita for that, which helps us to cultivate the same. There are times when our good qualities are reflected back to us by others. What we’ve said or done, or not said or not done, is appreciated. This helps us want to do it more as our heart rejoices with Mudita for our actions. Then there are occasions when what we’ve said, done, or not said or not done was unskillful and/or has caused harm, and a Sangha member has been able to kindly and compassionately point that out for us. This supports non-defensiveness, which helps the natural quality of our heart to not want to cause harm to shine through.
Then there is the aspect of Sangha that is not necessarily relational. In fact, it’s not personal. It has to do with the field of wholesomeness that is naturally created when people walk the Noble Eightfold Path together. If you’ve been on an intensive, residential retreat, you’ve definitely felt this. It just happens. It’s beyond the personal. In fact, we could have a completely different cast of characters at CIMC, and there would be the same wholesome field created! It’s quite amazing. Yes, it’s up to each individual to take the steps on the path and cultivate the wholesome qualities that naturally lead to liberation. And yet, the collective field that is created is about the qualities themselves, not the people cultivating them. This field is perhaps the most potent aspect of how Sangha supports us to keep swimming upstream. Because, it’s not limited to any individual interaction or moment. It’s pervasive, like getting wet by being in water. We co-create this field and all benefit from its benevolence. So, remember that everytime you come to CIMC for a meditation, class, or social event, you are helping to create a beautiful, wholesome field that supports the entire Sangha.