Topic summary
Saṅgha
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Sangha.
Saṅgha or saṃgha (IPA:) is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used by religious associations, including Buddhists, Jains, Hindus and Sikhs. Given this history, some Buddhists have stated that the tradition of the sangha represents humanity's oldest surviving democratic institution.