釋氏要覽 1.36

1.36

梵語具云僧伽。唐言眾（今略稱僧也）○中阿含經云。何名眾。答有若干姓異名異蔟。剃除鬚髮。著袈裟衣。至信捨家從佛學道。是名眾○善見律云。等戒等見等智等眾是為僧○南山鈔云。四人已上。能御聖法。辦得前事。名之為僧。僧以和合為義。言和合者。有二種。一理和。謂同證擇滅故。二事和此別有六義。一戒和同修。二見和同解。三身和同住。四利和同均。五口和無諍。六意和同悅。僧史略云。凡四人已上名僧。今一人亦稱僧者。蓋從眾名之也。亦如萬有二千五百人為軍。一人亦稱軍也。

In Sanskrit, it is fully called *saṅgha*. In the language of the Tang, it means 'community' (now abbreviated as *seng*). The *Madhyamāgama* says: "What is called a community? Answer: Persons of various clans, various names, and various lineages who shave their hair and beards, wear the kāṣāya robes, and with utmost faith leave the household life to learn the Way from the Buddha—this is called a community." The *Sudarsanavinayavibhāṣā* says: "Equal in precepts, equal in view, equal in wisdom, and equal in community—this is the saṅgha." The *Nanshan Commentary* says: "Four or more persons who are able to maintain the noble Dharma and accomplish previous affairs are called a saṅgha. Saṅgha takes 'harmony' (*saṃgha*) as its meaning. Speaking of harmony, there are two kinds: first, harmony in principle, meaning mutually realizing analytical cessation; second, harmony in phenomena, which distinctly has six meanings: (1) harmony in precepts through joint observance; (2) harmony in views through shared understanding; (3) harmony in body through living together; (4) harmony in benefits through equal distribution; (5) harmony in speech through absence of disputation; (6) harmony in mind through mutual joy. The *Brief History of the Saṅgha* (*Sengshi lüe*) says: "Generally, four or more persons are called a saṅgha. That a single person is also now called a monk (*seng*) is because the name is taken from the community; just as twelve thousand five hundred men make up an army, yet a single man is also called a soldier [of the army]."