Our Inner Sangha

We have society inside of us. Our land ancestors, our blood ancestors, our spiritual ancestors, our ecological ancestors, and millions of ancestors we do not know personally.

We were born already with society in us, in our genes, and in all that has been transmitted to us since we’ve been alive; wherever we’ve been in the world, whatever our family situation was like, and whatever has happened in our lives as our lives have unfolded.

But it’s really important to know who your core community is inside.

Just like we do externally with sangha, in this noble community of energy and support, [we need to] do the same thing inside of our own hearts and minds. Fill it with the energies of people who help you practice compassion, wisdom, and a noble life—a life of non-harming.

This is your inner sangha. And you want to choose who you want to be in your inner sangha.

My grandmother’s in my inner sangha. My mother’s in my inner sangha. My father is [in my inner sangha]; while not as much [as the others], he’s still there. One of my early teachers in Christianity is in my inner sangha. And Thầy is, of course.

And for me, that means I can hear them from time to time, things they’ve said that I remember. And it becomes what we call in resilience work, a “positive memory capsule.” You’re looking for those voices, those memories, those expressions, that nourish you on the path.

And so if I want to have a conversation with Thầy, or any other teacher, or friend or mentor, I can sit down in meditation for five minutes and visualize myself with them; in dialogue, in conversation, in silence, and experience the nourishment of being in touch with positive, healing, transformational energy.

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The excerpt was adapted from a short video teaching Ward gave for the Plum Village App and was reprinted with permission.