…For many, “intentional community” is synonymous with the hippie communes of the '60s, but that notion is extremely misleading--the '60’s communes were just one large blip in a long and impressive history of intentional communities. The fact is, efforts to create new lifestyles based on lofty ideals have been with us for thousands of years.
Although the earliest humans are thought to have lived in clans or tribes, they were probably just "doing what came natural" rather than consciously designing a social structure. However, by the 6th Century BC, Buddha's followers began living in ashrams--communities intentionally designed to foster an orderly, productive, spiritual life. Community, also known as the "sangha," is one of Buddhism’s core teachings, and represents the most longstanding form of intentional community on record.
However, in spite of their criticisms of the status quo, most intentional communities tha