Assemblies
Parisā Sutta  (AN 3:96)

“Monks, there are these three assemblies. Which three? The assembly of the supreme, the factional assembly, the harmonious assembly.

“And which is the assembly of the supreme? There is the case where—in whatever assembly the elder monks are not lax or luxurious, have shunned the tossing away of their duties, have taken the lead in seclusion, and have aroused persistence for the attaining of the as-yet-unattained, the reaching of the as-yet-unreached, the realization of the as-yet-unrealized—the next generation follows their example. They, too, are not lax or luxurious. They shun the tossing away of their duties, they take the lead in seclusion, and they arouse persistence for the attaining of the as-yet-unattained, the reaching of the as-yet-unreached, the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is called the assembly of the supreme.

“And which is the factional assembly? There is the case where, in whatever assembly the monks keep arguing, quarreling, & disputing, stabbing one another with weapons of the mouth, that is called the factional assembly.

“And which is the harmonious assembly? There is the case where, in whatever assembly the monks dwell in harmony, on friendly terms, without quarreling, like milk mixed with water, viewing one another with eyes of affection, that is called the harmonious assembly.

“Now, when the monks dwell in harmony, on friendly terms, without quarreling, like milk mixed with water, viewing one another with eyes of affection, at that time the monks produce much merit, at that time they dwell in a Brahmā dwelling, i.e., empathetic joy as an awareness release. When one is joyful, rapture is born. In one who is enraptured at heart, the body grows calm. When the body is calm, one feels pleasure. Feeling pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated.

“Just as when the devas pour rain in heavy drops on the upper mountains: The water, flowing down along the slopes, fills the branches of the mountain ravines & gullies. When the branches of the mountain ravines & gullies are full, they fill the little lakes. When the little lakes are full, they fill the large lakes… the little rivers… the large rivers. When the large rivers are full, they fill the ocean. In the same way, when the monks dwell in harmony, on friendly terms, without quarreling, like milk mixed with water, viewing one another with eyes of affection, at that time the monks produce much merit, at that time they dwell in a Brahmā dwelling, i.e., empathetic joy as an awareness release. When one is joyful, rapture is born. In one who is enraptured at heart, the body grows calm. When the body is calm, one feels pleasure. Feeling pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated.

“These, monks, are the three assemblies.”

See also: AN 5:26; AN 5:79–80; AN 6:12; AN 7:21; Dhp 194; Iti 18–19