A word meaning' community' or 'congregation'. In Buddhism it refers primarily to the community of saints and enlightened one's (Ariya Sangha), the third of the three Jewels and the three Refuges, and the order of monks (bhikkhu Sangha) and nuns (bhikkhuni Sangha). However increasingly the word is now being used for the Buddhist community in general, spiritually developed or not, ordained or not.