Because we understand that the good of all beings is the result of positive
acts, we need to know how to act positively. To learn this, there must be
teachings. These teachings can only be useful and accessible if they are
kept alive by people who practice them, who carry on the tradition, who
comprehend and integrate their meaning, thus being able to hand them down
to others. To do this, there must be a foundation; there must be the sangha
(monastic community). This sangha needs a place to live--it cannot just
dwell somewhere in space. It needs to be organized, and this organization
is the monastery.
The sangha is not comprised of ordinary people, but of people who practice,
experience, and realize the Dharma. The immaterial Dharma is given into
a receptacle, the sangha, which keeps it alive. If all of these conditions
are brought together, the Dharma remains alive, authentic, and people can
then take advantage of the teachings, practice them, and eventually hand
them on to others. In this way the good of beings is accomplished. If we
go back to square one, we conclude that a monastery must be built.
We could say to ourselves that, in fact, the most important thing is to
practice the Dharma. We may begin to practice without paying attention to
the organizational structure and think, '"'I've received the teachings
from the lama. I can practice on my own and the good of beings will be accomplished
through my personal practice.'"' In the long run, this notion is very
limited. If everyone is just concerned with the present, with the relative
side of it, without bothering about the continuity of the message, there
will be myriad little stars everywhere which will all disappear one day
and nothing will remain after us. The energy devoted to the transmission
will help the handful of people around the transmission source, but eventually
the message will disappear, as will those who had access to it, who developed
their practice, but couldn't benefit from a structure. The objective of
the sangha is to be a container, and especially, to ensure the transmission.
The sangha's goal is to think of the distant future. The distant future
isn't now, it's the centuries to come, the future generations. Organizational
structures must be developed in order to be able to convey this immaterial
thing, the realization of the Dharma, throughout the ages. The sangha is
crucial because it ensures the durability of the Dharma experience: it receives,
practices, understands, perfects, and spreads the teachings. It guarantees
that this experience will continue for many centuries.
We must acknowledge the universal law which states that happiness and the
root of happiness come from positive acts; suffering and the root of suffering
come from negative acts; enlightenment is attained by working for the good
of all beings; and the qualities of altruism, generosity, benevolence and
so forth bring ourselves and all beings to the freedom from suffering which
is perfect enlightenment.
