संघ संस्कृत का शब्द है- जिसका अर्थ सभा, समुदाय या संगठन है।

• बुद्धं शरणं गच्छामि : मैं बुद्ध की शरण लेता हूँ।
• धम्मं शरणं गच्छामि : मैं धर्म की शरण लेता हूँ।
• संघं शरणं गच्छामि : मैं संघ की शरण लेता हूँ।

Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali which means "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; In these languages, sangha is frequently used as a surname. In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used by religious associations, including Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. Given this history, some Buddhists have stated that the tradition of the sangha represents humanity's oldest surviving democratic institution.