Sangha

Sangha is a term from Indian religious traditions meaning "assembly" or "community." In Buddhism, it most commonly refers to the religious community of practitioners, historically the order of ordained monks and nuns, and, in broader usage, lay followers who support the monastic community. The sangha is one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, alongside the Buddha and the Dhamma (the teachings). The monastic sangha maintains and preserves the Vinaya, the code of discipline for monks and nuns, and serves as a repository of canonical texts and a source of guidance for lay practitioners. The term can also denote the wider Buddhist community, including lay practitioners, often called the lay sangha.

In Buddhism, there is a formal division between the monastic sangha (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis) and the lay sangha (upāsakas and upāsikas). Ordination creates the monastic sangha, which devotes itself to the renunciant life and study, while lay members undertake voluntary precepts and support the monastic community.

In Jainism, sangha likewise denotes the organized community of Jain monks, nuns, and lay followers who share a common code of conduct. Jain sanghas organize temples, rituals, charitable activities, and educational programs, and exist within the two major historical sects, Digambara and Śvetāmbara.

Today, "sangha" is frequently used to describe the global or local Buddhist community or a center's members, emphasizing communal practice, mutual support, and the transmission of teaching across generations.