Sanghānussati Meditation

Sanghānussati bhāvanā is the recollection on the qualities of the community of noble monks. The greatest community in the world is the community of disciples of the Buddha. When a Buddha is born into this world and preaches the Dhamma, wise humans listen to that Dhamma; follow, investigate and experience Dhamma for themselves. They develop virtue, concentration, and wisdom leading to the realization of the Four Noble Truths. The first critical step in this path is the attainment of right view or sammā ditṭhi. Only the disciples of the Buddha, namely, monks, nuns, male lay followers, and female lay followers are endowed with right view. Having developed right view, the disciples follow the Noble Eightfold Path and attain the stage of stream entry. They achieve the initial knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. Stream-enterers will attain Nibbāna within seven lives at the most. By practicing the Noble Eightfold Path further, these disciples attain the stage of once-returning; they are born only once and attain Nibbāna. By practicing the Noble Eightfold Path further, these disciples attain the stage of non-returning; they are born in a brahma world and attain Nibbāna. The disciples who attain the stage of arahantship will attain final extinguishing in this very life; at the completion of their life-span. There is no more rebirth for them. These disciples exist only in the dispensation of a Buddha. Therefore, the Buddha said, “monks, you may cry a lion’s roar (say fearlessly) that the first recluse (stream enterer), second recluse (once returner), third recluse (non -returner), and the fourth recluse (arahant) are only seen in a dispensation of the Buddha.”

 

The community of the disciples of the Buddha is unsurpassable in their virtue among various groups of people who practice various teachings. Because these disciples follow the path leading to the eradication of passion, hatred, and delusion and attainment of Nibbāna, the community of noble disciples is known as “supatipanno”. Since they follow the straight path to Nibbāna, which is the Noble Eightfold Path, the community of noble disciples is “ujupatipanno” The community of noble disciples is called “ñāyapatipanno” since they follow the path for the realization of the Four Noble Truths. Because the community of noble disciples teaches Dhamma to gods and humans encouraging them to understand the Four Noble Truths, the community of noble monks is “sāmīcipatipanno”. Those disciples of the Buddha who follow the Noble Eightfold Path are identified as eight types of individuals and four pairs of persons. (They are: those who are practicing the path to stream-entry and those who have attained the stage of stream-entry; those who are practicing the path to once returning and those who have attained the stage of once returning; those who are practicing the path to non-returning and those who have attained the stage of non-returning, and those who are practicing the path to arahantship and those who have attained the stage of arahantship.) The Buddha said that these disciples are worthy of gifts brought from afar; they are worthy of hospitality; they are worthy of making offerings in order to collect merit; and they are worthy of reverential salutation by others. The disciples of the Buddha who possess these noble qualities are supreme among worldly beings and are the unsurpassed field of merit. In this way, you can place confidence in the community of noble disciples of the Buddha.

 

In order to do sanghānussati meditation, you need to recollect the noble qualities of the community of disciples, who dedicate their lives whole heartedly aspiring utmost purity. By frequently recollecting the qualities of the community of noble disciples, may you develop confidence in the noble disciples and become a true disciple of the Buddha with the intention of realizing of the Four Noble Truths.