A Talk on the Importance of Sangha

The following talk is from Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo’s Course: Living the Dharma: How to Practice Buddhism and Make It Count. We have made this final talk available here as a podcast as we think this is one of the most important, powerful, and clear presentations on the importance of Sangha, or spiritual community, we have ever heard. For many in the West, taking refuge in the Buddha and the Dharma is really easy, but the third jewel, the Sangha, can feel more challenging and perhaps less necessary. This talk will almost certainly shift this perception. Here you will listen to Rinpoche explain how essential sangha is, the reason so many communities face hardship after a lama passes away, and how each of us can be a part of creating communities even stronger than before by employing the methods taught in The Way of the Bodhisattva, the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva and Lojong, or Mind-Training practices. Many of us here at Shambhala Publications have found this to be eye-opening, a cause of self-reflection, and a call to action. We hope you enjoy it. For more on the course, you can also visit shambhala.com/sangha.