The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2124 page)

Sangat
,
Satsang, or Sadhsa
gat
.

A Sikh group or association, often the local congregation of a
gurdw
r
. The whole Sikh community is known as Sikh Panth.

 
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see
LIN-CHI
.

 
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(Skt./P
li, ‘gathering, community’). Religious communities in India, e.g. the Jains, but most often used of Buddhists. In general, it means ‘those who follow the teachings of the
Buddha
’, i.e. the four groups of Buddhists
(Skt.,
pari
ad
;
P
li
,
paris
), monks and nuns (
bhik
us
, bhik
un
s), laymen and laywomen (
up
saka
, up
sik
); but again, the reference is usually more precise, to the community of monks and nuns alone, or to those of advanced spiritual attainment as distinguished from beginners
(Skt.,
aryasa
gha
or
savaka-sa
gha
, ‘holy community’), or to the entire Buddhist community at a particular place. To take refuge in the sa
gha is one of the
Three Jewels
(
tr
ratna