| Bhikkhu | |||||||||
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 Bhikkhus inPhutthamonthon, Thailand | |||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 比丘 | ||||||||
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| Native Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 和尚、僧侶 | ||||||||
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| Burmese name | |||||||||
| Burmese | ဘိက္ခု | ||||||||
| Tibetan name | |||||||||
| Tibetan | དགེ་སློང་ | ||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | Tì-kheo (Tỉ-khâu) Tăng lữ | ||||||||
| Chữ Hán | 比丘 僧侣 | ||||||||
| Thai name | |||||||||
| Thai | ภิกษุ | ||||||||
| RTGS | phiksu | ||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||
| Kanji | 僧、比丘 | ||||||||
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| Bengali name | |||||||||
| Bengali | ভিক্ষু (Bhikkhu) | ||||||||
| Tamil name | |||||||||
| Tamil | துறவி, tuṟavi | ||||||||
| Sanskrit name | |||||||||
| Sanskrit | भिक्षु (Bhikṣu) | ||||||||
| Pali name | |||||||||
| Pali | Bhikkhu | ||||||||
| Khmer name | |||||||||
| Khmer | ភិក្ខុ UNGEGN:Phĭkkhŏ ALA-LC:Bhikkhu | ||||||||
| Nepali name | |||||||||
| Nepali | भिक्षु | ||||||||
| Sinhala name | |||||||||
| Sinhala | භික්ෂුව | ||||||||
| Telugu name | |||||||||
| Telugu | భిక్షువు, bhikṣuvu | ||||||||
| Odia name | |||||||||
| Odia | ଭିକ୍ଷୁ, Bhikhyu | ||||||||
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Abhikkhu (Pali:भिक्खु,Sanskrit:भिक्षु,romanized: bhikṣu) is an ordained male inBuddhist monasticism.[1] Male and female monastics (bhikkhunī) are members of theSangha (Buddhist community).[2]
The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called theprātimokṣa orpātimokkha.[1] Their lifestyles are shaped to support their spiritual practice: to live a simple and meditative life and attainnirvana.[3]
A person under the age of 20 cannot be ordained as a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni but can be ordained as aśrāmaṇera or śrāmaṇērī.
Bhikkhu literally means "beggar" or "one who lives byalms".[4] The historical Buddha,Prince Siddhartha, having abandoned a life of pleasure and status, lived as an almsmendicant as part of hisśramaṇa lifestyle. Those of his more serious students who renounced their lives as householders and came to study full-time under his supervision also adopted this lifestyle. These full-time student members of thesangha became the community of ordained monastics who wandered from town to city throughout the year, living off alms and stopping in one place only for theVassa, the rainy months of the monsoon season.
In theDhammapada commentary ofBuddhaghoṣa, a bhikkhu is defined as "the person who sees danger (in samsara or cycle of rebirth)" (Pāli:Bhayaṃikkhatīti: bhikkhu). Therefore, he seeksordination to obtain release from the cycle of rebirth.[5] TheDhammapada states:[6]
[266–267] He is not a monk just because he lives on others' alms. Not by adopting outward form does one become a true monk. Whoever here (in the Dispensation) lives a holy life, transcending both merit and demerit, and walks with understanding in this world—he is truly called a monk.
Buddha accepted female bhikkhunis after his step-motherMahapajapati Gotami organized a women's march to Vesāli and Buddha requested her to accept theEight Garudhammas. So, Gotami agreed to accept the Eight Garudhammas and was accorded the status of the first bhikkhuni. Subsequent women had to undergo full ordination to become nuns.[7]
Thebhikkhu order, in its earliest form, upheld continuous movement for eight months a year, and ate one meal a day, received from begging.[8]
Theravada monasticism is organized around the guidelines found within a division of thePāli Canon called theVinaya Pitaka.Lay followers will undergo ordination as a novitiate (śrāmaṇera or sāmanera) in a rite known as the "going forth" (Pali:pabbajja). Sāmaneras are subject to theTen Precepts. From there full ordination (Pali:upasampada) may take place. Bhikkhus are subject to a much longer set of rules known as thePātimokkha (Theravada) orPrātimokṣa (Mahayana andVajrayana).
InMahayana Buddhism,Vinaya based monasticism is part of the system of "vows of individual liberation".[5] These vows are traditionally taken by monks and nuns from the ordinary sangha, in order to develop personal ethical discipline.[5]East Asian Buddhism generally follows theDharmaguptaka Vinaya, whileTibetan Buddhism's monastic sangha follows theMulasarvastivada Vinaya.[9][10]
InMahayana andVajrayana traditions likeTibetan Buddhism, the term "sangha" is, at the highest level, often understood to refer particularly to thearyasangha (Wylie:mchog kyi tshogs), the "community of the noble ones who have reached the first [bodhisattva]bhūmi". These need not be monks and nuns per se.[11] Nevertheless, most traditional Mahayana communities maintain Vinaya ordination, with the exception of most ofJapanese Buddhism (see below).
Traditionally, the vows of individual liberation are taken in four levels. A lay person may take the fiveupāsaka and upāsikā vows (Wylie:dge snyan (ma), "approaching virtue"). The next step is to enter thepabbajja or monastic way of life (Skt:pravrajyā,Wylie:rab byung), which includes wearing monk's or nun's robes. After that, one can become asamanera or samaneri "novice" (Skt.śrāmaṇera,śrāmaṇeri,Wylie:dge tshul, dge tshul ma). The final step is to take all the vows of a bhikkhu orbhikkhuni "fully ordained monastic" (Sanskrit:bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī,Wylie:dge long (ma)).[citation needed]
Monastics take their vows for life but can renounce them and return to non-monastic life[12] and even take the vows again later.[12] A person can take them up to three times or seven times in one life, depending on the particular practices of each school of discipline; after that, the sangha should not accept them again.[13] In this way, Buddhism keeps the vows "clean". It is possible to keep them or to leave this lifestyle, but breaking these vows requires confession and expiation.[citation needed]
In Tibetan Buddhism, the upāsaka, pravrajyā and bhikṣu ordinations are traditionally taken at ages six, fourteen and twenty-one or older, respectively. Tibetan Buddhism also includes a system of non-celibate clergy, calledNgakpas. These Tibetan clergy may still be called "lamas", but they do not follow the monastic Vinaya precepts. Nevertheless, all Tibetan Buddhists may still take additional vows not related to Vinaya ordination, including theBodhisattva vows, tantricsamaya vows and others, which are also open to laypersons in most instances.[citation needed]
In 9th century Japan, the monkSaichō believed that the 250 Vinaya precepts were no longer able to be maintained. Since he held they had been primarily taught for theŚrāvakayāna, and they had become too difficult to keep during theage of Dharma decline, he promoted a form of monastic ordination that relied only on theMahayana bodhisattva precepts of theBrahmajala Sutra. Saichō stipulated that the monastics of his newTendai school would remain onMount Hiei for twelve years of isolated training and follow the major themes of the 250 precepts:celibacy, non-harming, no intoxicants, vegetarian eating and reducing labor for gain. After twelve years, monastics would then use the Vinaya precepts as provisional or supplemental guidelines when serving in non-monastic communities.[14]
As such, theTendai school developed an ordination system that did not rely on the traditional Vinaya precepts, marking a radical break with Buddhist monastic tradition. During theKamakura period (1185 to 1333), various other Buddhist schools were founded by Tendai monastics, including theJōdo-shū,Sōtō Zen andNichiren. These new sects, who would later become some of the largest schools of Buddhism in Japan, also followed the Tendai model of bodhisattva precepts.
During Japan'sMeiji Restoration (1870s), the government abolishedcelibacy andvegetarianism for Buddhist monastics in an effort to secularise them and promote the newly createdState Shinto.[15][16] This changed the ordination practices of all sects, who had to abandon the following of the Vinaya. As such, the tradition of ordaining true Buddhist monks and nuns who adhere to the Vinaya has been effectively lost in Japanese Buddhism. In contemporaryJapanese Buddhism, non-celibate clergy are commonly referred by terms likesōryo(僧侶), and are regarded as distinct frombhikkhu, known in Japanese asbiku(比丘). While often labeled “monks” and "nuns" in English, some consider it offensive and misleading to refer to non-celibate Buddhist clergy by this term, as it conflates them withbhikkhu andbhikkhuni. In English, non-celibate Buddhist clergy may be referred to as “priests” or "priestesses" to distinguish them from actual monks (bhikkhu) and nuns (bhikkhuni).[17]
After theJapan–Korea Treaty of 1910, when Japan annexed Korea, Korean Buddhism underwent many changes.Jōdo Shinshū andNichiren schools began sending missionaries toKorea under Japanese rule and new sects formed there such asWon Buddhism. The Temple Ordinance of 1911 (Korean: 사찰령;Hanja: 寺刹令) changed the traditional system whereby temples were run as a collective enterprise by the Sangha, replacing this system with Japanese-style management practices in which temple abbots appointed by theGovernor-General of Korea were given private ownership of temple property and given the rights of inheritance to such property.[18] More importantly, monks from pro-Japanese factions began to adopt Japanese practices, by marrying and having children.[18]
Today, the practice of monastic celibacy varies inKorean Buddhism. The two sects ofKorean Seon divided in 1970 over this issue; theJogye Order is fully celibate while theTaego Order has both celibate monastics and non-celibate Japanese-style priests.[citation needed]
The special dress of ordained Buddhist monks is calledkāṣāya in Sanskrit, referred to in English asrobes. The idea of wearing a simple durable form of protection for the body from weather and climate is ancient and goes back to Indiansramana traditions. In each Buddhism tradition, there is some uniformity in the color and style of dress. Color is often chosen due to the wider availability of certain pigments in a given geographical region. In Tibet and the Himalayan regions (Kashmir, Nepal and Bhutan), red is the preferred pigment used in the dyeing of robes. InMyanmar, reddish brown; In India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia, various shades of yellow,ochre and orange prevail. In China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, yellow, gray or black is common. In some traditions, monks often make their own robes from cloth that is donated to them.[1]
The robes of Tibetan novices and monks differ in various aspects, especially in the application of "holes" in the dress of monks. Some monks tear their robes into pieces and then mend these pieces together again.Upāsakas cannot wear the "chö-göö", a yellow tissue worn during teachings by both novices and full monks.[citation needed]
Theravada countries observe a rite called theKathina Puja, in which a special Kathina robe is made in 24 hours from donations by lay supporters of a temple. The robe is donated to the temple or monastery and the resident monks then select from their own number a single monk to receive this special robe.[19]
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InEnglish literature before the mid-20th century, Buddhist monks, particularly from East Asia and French Indochina, were often referred to by the termbonze. This term is derived fromPortuguese andFrench from Japanese bonsō 'priest, monk'. It is rare in modern literature.[20]
Buddhist monks were once calledtalapoy ortalapoin from French talapoin, itself from Portuguese talapão, ultimately from Mon tala pōi 'our lord'.[21][22]
The Talapoys cannot be engaged in any of the temporal concerns of life; they must not trade or do any kind of manual labour, for the sake of a reward; they are not allowed toinsult the earth by digging it. Having no tie, which unites their interests with those of the people, they are ready, at all times, with spiritual arms, to enforce obedience to the will of the sovereign.
— Edmund Roberts,Embassy to the eastern courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat[22]
Thetalapoin is a monkey named after Buddhist monks, much like thecapuchin monkey is named after the CatholicCapuchin friars.
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Etymology: 16th Century: from French, literally: Buddhist monk, from Portuguese talapão, from Mon tala pōi our lord ...
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