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mickiThe second half of the chapter on the need for roots was about the need for a sangha, or a community of support. He talks about how the nuclear family is a rather new invention, and how in the past when the parents were fighting a child had lots of aunts, uncles and grandparents around s/he could go to for support; he thinks the sangha can function this way for people in the modern world. H talks about the need for active community and empathetic listening in the sangha, and how people without a community can build their own sangha, starting with one person also interested in meditation practice and then building a practice from your own home that eventually expands.
He says this need for community/sangha is not just for practitioners; social activists need a sangha, psychotherapists need a sangha, etc. Communities provide support and remind you of your values. He also said that many visitors to Plum Village want to replicate the peace and harmonious relationships there; he mentions a priest who spoke of this to him, and got the advice to bring certain aspects of mindfulness practice to the Catholic tradition. This makes a lot of sense since the early part of the chapter was on finding value in your own roots and traditions, so rather than trying to convert people to Buddhism here he's suggesting they take certain elements of Buddhism back to their own tradition.
He says this need for community/sangha is not just for practitioners; social activists need a sangha, psychotherapists need a sangha, etc. Communities provide support and remind you of your values. He also said that many visitors to Plum Village want to replicate the peace and harmonious relationships there; he mentions a priest who spoke of this to him, and got the advice to bring certain aspects of mindfulness practice to the Catholic tradition. This makes a lot of sense since the early part of the chapter was on finding value in your own roots and traditions, so rather than trying to convert people to Buddhism here he's suggesting they take certain elements of Buddhism back to their own tradition.
