On the one hand the Buddha recommended the sangha as a vital place of practice, one of the three jewels. On the other hand, at the end of his life the Buddha recommended we take refuge in ourselves and the dharma, and in nothing else. Can we reconcile these two apparently contradictory tendencies in early Buddhism?
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✅ Suttas mentioned:
https://suttacentral.net/ud5.5/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn65/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/an10.99/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/an5.106/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/dn16/en/sujato
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00:00 Intro
02:34 Character of the sangha in early texts
09:40 Living as your own island
12:28 Recapitulation
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