The Power of Community in the Spiritual Journey
It is a common misconception to think of the spiritual journey as a lonely, isolated affair in which one walks alone on a foggy trail, guided only by personal spiritual practices and the occasional teacher that we bump into along the way.
In truth, embarking on a spiritual journey (something we can come to understand as embarking on journey towards compassionate authenticity) is anything but solitary—it is a communal act that brings us closer to the world around us.
This understanding is not often clear at the onset of establishing an individual daily spiritual practice like meditation or yoga. It certainly wasn’t clear to me when I began my own daily meditation practice almost four years ago now. Back then, I was under the impression that I could continue to “progress” nicely in my spiritual journey through my own efforts and insights.
But all of that began to change when I met the wise Lama John Makransky, PhD, Associate Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology at Boston College and student of the Dalai Lama. I strode into his classroom riding the high that many people feel at the beginning of their meditation journey, excited to share all my recent insights on ego transcendence and enlightenment with him. I was about halfway through my monologue on nirvana when I spotted the Lama’s kind and yet slightly bored smile. This threw me totally off my game. Here I was, revealing the great mysteries of the universe, and this Lama did not seem to care!
I wrapped up my speech and waited for the Lama’s diagnosis (expecting only high marks) on the state of my spiritual development. Alas, I did not receive the expected commendation that I so yearned for, something along the lines of “It seems to me you are well on your way to Enlightenment!” Instead, what I received was a straightforward and uncompromising dose of medicinal wisdom designed to cut through the spiritual arrogance that I’d accumulated in my nascent practice. Lama John told me that while my spiritual insights “were all well and good”, but that I would it difficult to deepen my practice if I did not have a sangha (community) on which I could rely on. He encouraged me to find such a sangha, offered a few suggestions, and then sent me on my way.
“A Sangha?” I scoffed internally, “I mean, sure… I guess it’s important to have a community. But I don’t think it’s really necessary in order to progress in the spiritual path. People can do just fine on their own.”
I must admit that I left Lama John’s office feeling disappointed. I’d arrived hoping to get the inside scoop on some ancient Tibetan practice that could catalyze my spiritual journey, but all I’d gotten was advice I felt did not apply to my situation.
Three years and one pandemic came and went. Sure enough, Makransky’s prediction eventually came true: I got stuck in my meditation practice. It wasn’t until I began my training to become a Meditation Teacher under the tutelage of David Nichtern and the Dharma Moon team, surrounded by dozens of other fellow meditators, that I realized just how right Lama John had been all those years ago. Slowly but surely, I became unstuck in my practice, and what’s more, I realized just how powerful and encouraging it really was to form a part of a vibrant community treading the same kind of path as I was.
Revered Zen Monk Thich Nhat Hanh describes the importance of having a Sangha (Community) perfectly in his book “You Are Here”:
We can see the Sangha as a boat. We have bricks of suffering in us, and without a boat we are in danger of sinking in the river of suffering. If you throw a stone in the river, it will sink, but if you have a boat, you can transport tons of pebbles and stones. The same thing is true for your pain and suffering. If you know how to use the boat made of the energy generated by the Sangha, you will not be drowned in your suffering. Because you put your trust in the Sangha, you can have confidence. You can say to yourself, “I am surrounded by the Sangha. The Sangha is generating the energies of compassion and mindfulness. I have confidence in that.”
Azul Ocean Club is driven by mission of manifesting a retreat space where coaches and students can experience first-hand the transformative power of community practice and sustenance. Send us an email at [email protected] or a DM through Instagram to learn more about the process of hosting your own life-changing retreat with us.