The necessity of community

“This is it.”

--Thich Nhat Hanh

My wife Alison and I have been attending the Harvard Medical School continuing education conference, “Meditation and Psychotherapy: Deepening Mindfulness.” The keynote speaker was Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master and one of my personal favorite spiritual guides. I find incredible resonance between the teachings of Christ and Buddha. Here are some of the most profound correspondences:

-Compassion is THE central key to human relations

-Self-emptying leads to a fullness beyond measure

-Prayer/meditation centers our being on love, which, in turn, reduces pain and  suffering

-Prayer is more about listening than speaking

-Listening is one of the greatest gifts of love we can give another

-Care for the world and all life is the gateway to God

-God is always present for us, it is we who are not present for God

-The doctrine of enough--living fully is consuming only that which is needed, not  wanted--and, in turn, becomes a path to the embodiment of compassion

Thay Hanh remarked that the Kingdom of God is always present; it is not something that only comes at the end of life, but is experienced now as we engage in the mindful practice of our faith (or love). This follows the Apostle John’s teaching that God is love, and as we abide in love, we abide in God.

Which leads to a major thought on our involvement in a congregation. Thay Hanh taught that belonging to a congregation (sangha) is necessary for well-being and faithful practice. Love is communal, ergo, a community is required for living love. A congregation’s only reason for being is mutual nourishment and support. Hence, he travels and speaks only in the presence of his sanga, surrounded by twenty or thirty monastics at all times--they feed him as he speaks, he feeds them as he speaks. Think of what that means for our church congregations--our reason for being is mutual nourishment and support. Yet, too often, we come to church lost in our individualism (cultural). We come to be “left alone.” We are seemingly afraid to let our guard down and truly enter the welcome of a congregation. It must be confessed, though, that some congregations are also lost in their individuality, setting up barriers to others, some bad--you are not like us, you do not live the right lifestyle, you are too young, you are too old, you are poor, you are rich, etc.--others completely unintentional--a stranger meets a deeply connected community and finds no doorway inside, and so on. As we gather, we need to be self-emptying, welcoming. We need to focus solely on the others who enter our gathering, listening to them, welcoming them as they are for who they are, inviting them to join our fellowship. Then we need to support one another. 

As folks consider joining a congregation, they need to come prepared to lose the emphasis on self. The mistaken approach to church is to ask, “What do you offer me?” A more beneficial question, both for you and for the congregation is, “What can I offer you?” Realize that same question will come from the congregation, too. In this way, we connect and realize our interbeing. 

And that is love.