78. Why do you need a sangha?🔗

Listen: basically, by nature you are liquid. You are like a liquid; you take the shape of the vessel in which you are kept, that's all! That is why I insist that you create a positive, blissful community around you; only then you can continue to be blissful and positive forever. It can never happen just by you alone being positive.

In India there is a story: even if you struggle and climb up, there will be people just to pull you down. They will just be waiting to pull you down! It is true! Just go home from this satsang with a smiling, joyful face, and see how many minutes you can last! Fortunately, if your spouse is also here, then you are safe. Otherwise, if you are in ecstasy independent of him, that is are big problem! See, if you are in ecstasy without depending on him or her, it is too much to bear. Naturally, it will express in your body language; you are saying that you don't need him or her to be happy. That hurts his ego. At the most you are allowed to be happy with the other person's support; nothing else can be tolerated.

Put a little energy, a little time, into creating a beautiful community around you, or spend a little time where the positive abhyasa is happening. You will see so many wonderful things expressing inside you. Especially with spiritual activities, you don't have your community supporting you, society supporting you. One day if you sit for meditation and you have a little knee pain, and if you happen to tell your spouse about it, they are only going to ask, 'Who asked you to do all these things?' There is no support. So naturally, what you will do? You will decide, 'Why all these unnecessary risks? Who knows what will be the outcome, and what can be the side-effect.'

That is the reason Buddha says, 'The sangha or spiritual community is as important as Buddha or dhamma, the Master or the scriptures.' See, Buddha can initiate you, dhamma can inspire you, but only sangha can bring only abhyasa to you. Only sangha can help you establishing yourself into that same state again and again and again.

Sangha is a powerful influence on your life. Even without knowing, you start imitating the mood of your sangha - whether it is your family, friends, co-workers or spiritual community. Many times you can see, the moment you remember the people whom you are going meet in the bar, you are already headed towards the bar! You don't even consciously think and decide; their very company gives you the courage.

Even if your doctors advise you, 'No no no! Your life will be reduced, you will have the risk of cancer, you will have the risk of liver failure', you say to them,

'But I know a guy who was drinking and smoking for ninety-five years, and he was alright!'

You don't understand that he's an exception, not the rule! But somehow, just the two or three people who are going to give you company in the bar have so much strength, so much influence on you, that you don't even logically think about what your doctor said or you said; you are already in the car and you are done.

In the same way, many times, if you are feeling depressed, low, suddenly you will remember the temple, and the all people you will meet, or the deities, and all the joyful times you have spent in the temple, and you are already in the car and headed towards the temple. The moment you remember all these things, you will be here, and the positive abhyasa can happen. That is why so much of energy, intelligence, time, money, is put into the sangha.

ACTIVITY

Put a little energy, a little time, into creating a beautiful community around you, or spend a little time where the positive abhyasa is happening. You will see so many wonderful things expressing inside you.