In the Words of the Buddha:

Venerable Ananda said to the Buddha, "Venerable Sir, good friendship, good companionship, and good comradeship is half of the holy life."

The Buddha said to Venerable Ananda, "Not so, Ananda! Not so, Ananda! good friendship, good companionship, and good comradeship is the entire holy life. When a bhikkhu or a monk has a good friend, a good companion, or a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path."

- Upaddha Sutta

In the Words of the Sanghata:

The Blessed One spoke:

Those who have faith and ethics in abundance,

possess wisdom and great austerity,

and associate with virtuous friends —

these will swiftly become a tathágata.

[and elsewhere]

"When one sees a virtuous friend, a tathágata is seen. When one sees a tathágata, all one’s wickedness is purified."

- Arya Sanghata Sutra

Welcome to the Sanghata Sutra Community Center

Buddha mentions the importance of virtuous friends more than once in the Sanghata Sutra, stressing the crucial role of these relationships for our spiritual development. Whether these are teachers, fellow practitioners or simply friends who are rich in virtues, our growth depends on these most significant others. A central aim of this website, therefore, is to facilitate friendships and conversations among people interested in the Sanghata Sutra...so, welcome, friends!

To that end, please do join the conversations in our discussion forum—to share thoughts, experiences or questions, or just meet others who have taken an interest in the Sanghata Sutra.

In addition, members of the global Sanghata community are invited to come together several times a year, reciting the sutra on particularly auspicious days in groups or individually. For a list of global recitation dates in 2006, click here.

The community of people engaging with the Sanghata spans the entire globe. The Global Sanghata Satellite Map marks locations worldwide where people have recited, copied, translated or had other important encounters with the sutra. To chart the Sanghata's movements, or to see what activities have taken place in your area, visit the Global Sanghata Satellite Map. You can also report activities in your area.

If you have photos or stories of Sanghata-related activities that you think others might find interesting or inspiring, please let us know using contact us and we will consider posting it on this site.

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