Last night we looked at the first unit of this Mitra Study Course. The required reading and questions are shown below. Here are links to the 2 talks:

Prasadachitta: Introduction to What is the Sangha? (fyi it takes a while to get going)
https://ia601404.us.archive.org/28/items/sbagley_gmail_Pc/Pc.m4a
or if that doesn't work try this: https://archive.org/details/sbagley_gmail_Pc
Megan (Drace): The Sangha Refuge
https://ia902607.us.archive.org/6/items/Megan_201410/Megan.m4a
or try this: https://archive.org/details/Megan_201410

Unit 1: Going for Refuge to the Sangha
Please read the ‘Introduction’ to (‘Part 1’ and ‘Section 1’) of Part 1 ‘The Sangha Jewel’ i.e. pp. 9-22. This is a short section introducing the topic and placing the Sangha in its traditional context of "Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels‟.

1. On pages 15-16, Sangharakshita says that the Three Jewels come into being in a particular order and suggests that this is also how they have been adopted in the West. In what order did you become aware of the Three Jewels in your own life?
2. What relevance does the Buddha‟s advice to the Vajjians (pp. 18-19) have for your own participation in the Sangha?
3. ‘The real significance of the deep individual-to-individual contact that Going for Refuge to the Sangha involves lies in a simple psychological fact: we get to know ourselves best in relation to other people’ (p.20).
   To what extent is this your experience?
4. ‘The heart of the Sangha is kalyāņa mitratā .... Kalyāņa mitratā is not half the spiritual life; it’s the whole of it.’ (p. 19).
   How do you respond to these statements?
5. ‘There is no future for Buddhism without a truly united and committed spiritual community, dedicated to practising together.’ (p.22). Do you agree with this statement? Why might it be true?
6. In practical terms, how do you go for refuge to the Sangha?