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The Next Buddha May Be a Sangha.


"It is possible the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. And the practice can be carried out as a group, as a city, as a nation." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Nearly thirty years ago, these were some of the late Thich Nhat Hanh’s closing remarks to over two thousand people attending his Day of Mindfulness at Spirit Rock Center, north of San Francisco.

Since we launched MEA more than four years ago, one of our most profound insights is that “wisdom is not taught, it’s shared” (thanks to our co-founder Jeff Hamaoui for that gem). The collective effervescence and wisdom of a cohort often surpass what any one individual can offer us, as long as the facilitators know how to “hold space and invite grace.”

You don’t have to come to Baja to be part of a sangha or wisdom community. It can happen at your kitchen table with a group of like-minded friends. It’s available to all of us if we’re open to looking for it and developing a practice around cultivating collective wisdom.

For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area who want to get a flavor of the MEA community, we’re having our annual MEA alumni reunion April 22-24 (with a San Francisco event open to visitors on Friday late afternoon). We have a limited number of spaces for those who want to learn more about our community and programs. If you’re interested, feel free to email my EA Tiana at [email protected].

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