September 16, 2011

An Important F-Word

Fellowship.

As my Step Eleven work proceeds, I am slowly studying Buddhism. I was encouraged to join a Sangha for this study. A Sanga, most simply put, is a community in which novices and long-term Buddhist practitioners take refuge, and are nurtured on a path of loving-kindness to themselves and their Sangha, and eventually to their communities and the world. 

In my Sangha, as here in EA, my path towards loving-kindness really does begin small, with me as my first practitioner.

I realized one evening, going to my Buddhist Sangha, that I felt like I was going to something  that was as much about Honesty, Openness and Willingness as our face-to-face groups. I understood at that moment, HOW our EA Fellowship has a lot in common with a Sangha. 

I have to admit, now I am going to be tempted to call EA, my sanctuary, even my Sangha launching pad (!)  But Fellowship is a good-enough word, too.

2 comments:

  1. I hope to also move towards Buddhism at some point. There is a teaching center in the city. I simply have not taken the time to go. It seems my days are filled with so much right now.

    ReplyDelete

I welcome your thoughts. Keep me honest~