The Four Samgrahavastus (means of unification of the Sangha - the spiritual community) were documented by Nagarjuna around 200 CE as advice to a king on how to unify and sustain a thriving community. Despite the vast technological changes since then, these core principles remain remarkably relevant for today's open source leaders. I've found them to be practical tools for addressing our most persistent community challenges.
The Four Samgrahavastus
1. Generosity (Dana) - the foundation of contribution
In open source, much of our focus is on code contributions - people submitting bug fixes, features, improvements and the like. Generosity extends far beyond code, however. True dana involves creating an environment where multiple forms of giving are both recognised and valued, and where it's become a positive act that is part of the culture because people want to support each other to grow and thrive.
This might include low- and no-code contributions such as technical writing, mentoring new contributors, answering questions in support channels, managing social media, supporting marketing and even the financial aspect of contributing money to ensure the ongoing stability of the open source project.
I've spoken quite a bit about how we try to recognise, reward and celebrate such contributions from both individuals and organisations at Mautic, because often they're hidden from view and people don't always feel that their generosity is recognised.
I've intentionally tried to cultivate that culture within our community of helping each other succeed and over time, it's really paid off. We see people sharing tutorials of how they've managed to resolve a tricky situation in their infrastructure, writing up how they set up their tooling to optimise performance, and sharing widely in conference talks and articles to help others. We're also gradually increasing the number of organisations and individuals who contribute financially to our project, enabling us to continue to grow and thrive.
2. Kind speech (Priyavadita) - communication as community infrastructure
Communication patterns shape community more powerfully than any technical decision. In distributed open source teams, where text-based communication lacks tone and body language, how we speak becomes even more critical. It's even more critical because those relationships really are the fundamental infrastructure of any open source project and where they break down, the foundations of a project can be at risk of crumbling.
How do we provide technical critique without discouraging contribution? How do we address the inevitable arising of conflict between passionate people and address disagreements while preserving relationships? How do we create psychological safety across timezones and cultures while communicating asynchronously? My take on this is to always approach communication with kindness.
The Buddhist principle of kind speech doesn't mean avoiding difficult conversations - in fact quite the opposite. It means having them in ways that preserve dignity, respect and relationships. At Mautic, we've developed specific practices around code review language, issue templates, and discussion facilitation that embody this principle, and our leaders are encouraged and supported to actively model the communication we want to see in the community. We've also given specific examples of expected behaviours and unacceptable behaviours to help people put the intangible 'speak kindly' into more practical, concrete terms which really helps with exploring instances of unkind speech or actions. As Project Lead, I take speaking with kindness quite seriously, because I'm the person who sets the culture, so it follows that I should also be exemplifying that behaviour.
I'm by no means perfect at kindly speech and nor do I expect any leader to be - we're all subject to the conditions of life, after all. I do, however, always try to notice if my communication slips out of kindly speech and do whatever I can, as soon as possible, to make amends and apologise. I'm getting much better at noticing the conditions that lead to these slip-ups and taking proactive steps to address them when I'm sliding down the slippery slope of (most often) grumpiness!
3. Beneficial activity (Arthacarya) - strategic impact in community work
With limited resources and endless possibilities, open source leaders must constantly prioritise. Arthacarya isn't just about being helpful, it's about discerning what would truly benefit the community at the deepest level rather than what they want or what seems immediately needed.
How do we evaluate which initiatives will have the most meaningful impact? What's going to be more beneficial, clearing down technical debt or adding another shiny new feature? Should we invest our time in empowering and mentoring others, or just getting things done because it's quicker and easier?
Often I find that there's more to be done than people who can do it (a common thing in open source!), and what benefits most of all can simply be helping people to get unblocked, sparking off and maintaining their inspiration and enthusiasm, getting out of the way, and helping them to get going with contributing in the areas that they are passionate about.
I do find prioritising challenging as it can be so subjective. What one person sees as the most beneficial activity for you to be working on as a a leader in open source, another might completely disagree with. People often come to the table with a vested interest in certain outcomes, and as leaders of open source projects we have to balance what the project needs against what third party stakeholders want or expect.
When a shiny new thing comes on the scene (looking at you, AI 👀) do you immediately disregard all the work you've been doing on establishing a stable base and implementing features that are fundamental to longer term goals, in pursuit of 'keeping up with the Jones'', or focus on what's already on the table? It's a tough one!
While you can of course hold strategic workshops and plan to the n'th degree, sometimes knowing what's going to have the biggest impact and be the most beneficial can be a deeply intuitive sense, and being able to honour that and communicate from that place of depth can be challenging in the face of the latest and greatest shiny, sparkly things that people are asking for.
4. Exemplification (Samanarthata) - authentic leadership in open source
Perhaps the most challenging of the four Samgrahavastus is the final one - exemplification, or 'practicing what you preach'. In open source where authority is often earned rather than imposed, alignment between words and actions is essential. Many of the leaders I meet across the open source ecosystem are some of the most authentic people I know.
In open source, we work transparently in the public domain, we learn from each other and grow together. We have to share our thought processes, acknowledge our limitations and know where the edges of our knowledge lies, often having those pointed out to us in ways that might land painfully. In addition to that, when we fail or make a mistake, which inevitably we do, we do so publicly. These principles have guided how I approach leadership in Mautic and in particular around transparency of decision making, clarity on governance and power structures, and exemplifying the values that our Code of Conduct are based upon.
Exemplification to me means both ensuring that you're a living, breathing example of your culture, but also that you're proactive in addressing and supporting folks who are behaving in ways that don't align with those values, while also upholding them. This can be quite challenging, especially in conflict-driven situations, and it's certainly something that's a lifelong practice for me.
As with kind speech, there are times where I fall below the bar I set for myself when it comes to exemplification, something that can be really painful to admit and equally painful to address. Being willing to be vulnerable, to accept that things didn't quite go how we'd have expected ourselves to behave, and making amends can also be a great opportunity for growth. A way of recognising where we have set our bar, acknowledging that we missed it somehow, and committing to try to be better next time.
Conclusion
As we navigate the complex landscape of open source leadership, the Four Samgrahavastus offer us more than philosophical concepts - I think that they provide practical tools for addressing some of our most persistent challenges.
These principles remind us that despite all our technological advancements, community building remains fundamentally human. When we practice generosity by recognising diverse contributions, employ kind speech in our communications, engage in truly beneficial activities that empower others, and exemplify our values through consistent action, we create the conditions for sustainable, thriving communities.
The beauty of these ancient principles lies in their adaptability. They don't prescribe specific structures or processes, instead they offer a framework that each community can interpret according to its unique context and needs. A small documentation project might express generosity through comprehensive onboarding, while a large foundation might implement formal recognition programs. Both embody the same fundamental principle.
Perhaps most importantly, these principles integrate personal practice with community leadership. By cultivating these qualities in ourselves - our own generosity, communication patterns, discernment of what's truly beneficial, and alignment between words and actions - we naturally become more effective leaders. There is no separation between developing ourselves and developing our communities.
As open source continues to shape our digital landscape, we face unprecedented opportunities and challenges. The technical problems will evolve, but the human dynamics will remain remarkably consistent. By grounding our leadership in these timeless principles, we can build communities that are not just productive but deeply fulfilling - communities that embody the very best of what open source represents: collaboration, transparency, and shared purpose.
I invite each of you to consider how these four pillars might address a specific challenge you're facing in your own community work. Which principle speaks most directly to your current situation? What small, concrete step might you take to embody that principle more fully in your leadership practice?
The wisdom that guided communities 2,500 years ago still has much to teach us today. As we face the future of open source together, these ancient pillars offer a foundation that can support us through whatever challenges lie ahead.
In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts: Which of these four principles resonates most with your experience in open source communities? What other timeless wisdom have you found valuable in your community work?
