Can anyone share the EBTs on the Sangha please. With Metta!
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Could you be more specific? That would be helpful.
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You might find this list useful
or if you are looking to do Sanghanusati
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Dear Adutiya,
I’d like to learn more about the Sangha which we take refuge in. What is taught in the Early Buddhist Texts about the Sangha? Who is the Sangha? Why and how taking refuge in the Sangha help practitioners.
Thanks a lot. NhuDuc
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Thanks so much Ven. @Pasanna for the links. Very useful.
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“”Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, direct, systematic, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individual persons. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with cupped palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’ When a noble disciple recollects the Saṅgha their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion.”” AN6.25. Ven @Pasanna Could you help me better understand the definition of the Sangha : “it consists of the four pairs, the eight individual persons” . Thanks a lot.
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The four pairs are:
Those on the path to stream entry/ Stream enterers
Those on the path to once returner/once returners
Those on the path to non-returner / non-returners
Those on the path to arahantship/ arahants
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Thank you very much Ven.Pasanna. @Pasanna That means the Sangha consists of those who have realized these levels: Stream Enterers. Once Returners. Non-Returners. Arahants. So Do I understand correctly that in the community of monks and nuns at monasteries or temples, we should find those people and rely on these people to guide our practice, taking refuge in them?
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The Sangha is defined in two ways in the Suttas.
The noble sangha, which is what you asked about in the sanghanusati, and the sangha as monastic community. There is hopefully an overlap in these two.
It’s hard to know for sure who is enlightened, but we can take refuge in the fact that people who have ordained have hopefully given their life towards practicing towards enlightenment. You can find monasteries dedicated to meditation and sutta study, where good sila is kept.
We can also feel joy in recollecting great masters of the past, whether that be people widely accepted as enlightened like Ajahn Chah, or the bhikkhuni and bhikkhu arahants which we can read about in the suttas – especially the therigatha and theragatha
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Thank you very much Ven Pansanna @Pasanna Much appreciate your immediate response.
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In the context of taking refuge, it’s consistently this definition of the Saṅgha that is used:
I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha.
It’s not so obvious because quite often, the final section of the sutta where a person takes refuge is abbreviated, so we don’t see this phrase so often.
I believe the reason why for taking refuge, we look at the mendicant Saṅgha rather than the noble Saṅgha is that we can easily see whether or not someone is a mendicant, while we can’t see whether or not they are noble.
For recollection, by contrast, the noble Saṅgha is usually used. We are seeking inspiration in the highest.
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This is an interesting and stimulating topic! Thanks for bringing it up and for the illuminating replies!
This caused me consider anew of how I must rely on all three: the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha in order to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. I rely on the Buddha with understanding, confidence and conviction that he was a fully awakened Buddha, that he found the ancient path, did what had to be done and led the way out for anyone who is willing. I rely on the Dhamma, that within the Buddha’s teachings is everything I need to follow the Buddha’s noble path. And I rely on the Sangha, the ones who have renounced the world to devote themselves to understand and follow the Buddha’s teachings, to show me the way and to help me understand and follow the ancient path myself.
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These two works by Venerables Bodhi and Nyanaponika should help answer your question.
wh076_Nyanaponika_The-Threefold-Refuge.pdf (350.6 KB)
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Thank you so much Ven. @Mkoll
“”The Buddha comes first because he is a person. Since we are persons we naturally look to another person for guidance, inspiration, and direction. When it is ultimate deliverance that is at stake, what we look for in the first place is a person who has himself reached complete freedom from danger and can lead us to the same state of safety. This is the Buddha, the enlightened one, who comes first in the triad for the reason that he is the person who discovers, achieves, and proclaims the state of refuge. In the second place we need that state of refuge itself, the state beyond fear and danger; then we need a path leading to this goal; and also we need a set of instructions guiding us along the path. This is the Dhamma, which as we will see has this threefold denotation. Then, in the third place, we need persons who began like ourselves — as ordinary people troubled by afflictions — and by following the way taught by the guide reached the state of safety beyond fear and danger. This is the Sangha, the community of spiritual persons who have entered the path, realized the goal, and can now teach the path to others.“” - exerpt from Ven Bodhi ‘s work. 
This clearly helps me understand which Sangha we take refuge in: “ Spiritual persons who have enterered the path, realized the goal, and can now teach the path to others” …. so we will seek those who have realized the goal like the Buddha did, and rely on them to guide us on our practice path.
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I am a layman. You are very welcome.
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I see. With all respect, Thank you so much @Mkoll for your link.
With Metta.
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Thank you for sharing your view @sabbamitta
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