A Bhikkhu (Pāli), Bhikṣu (Sanskrit) (, , Tibetan: dge long, pronounced gelong) is a fully ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called Bhikkhuni (Skt: Bhikṣuṇī). Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis keep many precepts: they live by the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline,
Introduction
Bhiksu may be literally translated as "beggar" or more broadly as "one who lives by
alms". It is philologically analysed in the Pāli commentary of
Buddhaghosa as "the person who sees danger (in samsara or cycle of rebirth)" (Pāli =
ikkhatīti: bhikkhu). He therefore seeks
ordination in order to release from it. The
Dhammapada states:
He is not thereby a Bhikkhu
merely because he seeks alms from others;
by following the whole code (of morality)
one certainly becomes a Bhikkhu and not (merely) by seeking alms.
Herein he who has transcended both good and evil,
whose conduct is sublime,
who lives with understanding in this world,
he, indeed, is called a Bhikkhu.
A bhikkhu has taken a vow to enter the
Sangha (Buddhist monastic community) and is expected to obey rules of monastic conduct (typically around 227 for a male, and 311 for a female) as set out in the
Vinaya, although there are considerable local variations in the interpretations of these rules. A novice monk or nun in the
Tibetan tradition takes 36 vows of conduct. The minimum age to take bhikkhu vows according to ruling is 20 years counted from the conception (i.e. appr. 19 years and 3 months from birth).
In English literature prior to the mid-20th Century, Buddhist monks were often referred to by the term bonze, particularly when describing monks from East Asia and French Indochina. This term is derived via Portuguese and French from the Japanese word bonsō for a priest or monk, and has become less common in modern literature.
Becoming a Bhikkhu/Bhikkhuni
In Buddhism, monasticism is part of the system of "vows of individual liberation". In this way, Buddhism keeps the vows "clean". It is possible to keep them or to leave this lifestyle, but it is considered extremely negative to break these vows.
In Tibet, rabjung, getshül, gelong ordinations are usually taken at ages six, fourteen and twenty-one or older, respectively.
Robes
The special dress of ordained people, the robes, comes from the idea of wearing cheap clothes just to protect the body from weather and climate. Monks often make their own robes from cloth that is donated to them.
Additional vows in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions
In Mahayana traditions, a Bhikṣu may take additional vows not related to ordination, including the
Bodhisattva vows,
samaya vows, and others, which are also open to laypersons in most instances.
In addition, in some traditions there are forms of non-vinaya ordinations, the holders of which are not considered Bhikṣus. These included ordination into the "White Sangha" lineage of Tibetan yogis (Tib. naljorpa/naljorma , <rnal hbyor pa/ma>), and all of the ordination lineages of the various Japanese traditions.
Conclusion
"Ordination" in Buddhism is a cluster of methods of self-discipline according to the needs, possibilities and capabilities of individuals. According to the spiritual development of his followers, the Buddha gave different levels of vows. The most advanced method is the state of a bikshu(ni), a fully ordained follower of the Buddha's teachings. The goal of the bhikku(ni) in all traditions is to achieve liberation from suffering.
Monks in Japan
Saichō, the founder of Japanese
Tendai sect, succeeded in abolishing the vinaya in Japan in favor of ordination by bodhisattva precepts, as outlined in the apocryphal
Brahmajala Sutra. Japanese monks in the Tendai sect are therefore not Bhikṣus. The
Shingon sect, founded by
Kūkai, however, requires the full 250 Vinaya precepts during ordination (348 for women), thus making (celibate) Shingon clerics Bhikṣus/Bhikṣunis.
The celibate note is important, since the first rule for monks in the Vinaya, is that:
Should any bhikkhu — participating in the training and livelihood of the bhikkhus, without having renounced the training, without having declared his weakness — engage in sexual intercourse, even with a female animal, he is defeated and no longer in affiliation.
See also
Unsui
Master Cheng
References
Further reading
Inwood, Kristiaan. Bhikkhu, Disciple of the Buddha. Bangkok, Thailand: Thai Watana Panich, 1981. (No ISBN listed in the Library of Congress catalog.)
Inwood, Kristiaan. Bhikkhu, Disciple of the Buddha, revised edition. Bangkok, Thailand: Orchid Press, 2005. ISBN 9789745240599.
External links
The Buddhist Monk's Discipline Some Points Explained for Laypeople
Thirty Years as a Western Buddhist Monk
Category:Buddhist terms
Category:Buddhist sangha
Category:Pāli words and phrases
Category:Sanskrit words and phrases
Category:Buddhist titles
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