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73-434: The four pārājikas (lit. "defeats") are rules entailing expulsion from the sangha for life. If a monk breaks any one of the rules he is automatically "defeated" in the holy life and falls from monkhood immediately. He is not allowed to become a monk again in his lifetime. Intention is necessary in all these four cases to constitute an offence. The four parajikas for bhikkus are: The pārājikas are more specific definitions of

146-461: A candidate for ordination is not pregnant. They then undergo two higher ordinations ( upasampada )—first from a quorum of bhikkhunīs, and then again from a quorum of bhikkhus. Vinaya rules are not explicit as to whether this second higher ordination is simply a confirmation of the ordination conducted by the bhikkhunīs, or if monks are given final say in the ordination of bhikkhunīs. The Order of Interbeing , established in 1964 and associated with

219-479: A chance to share my insights about women with them, and then they will be unblocked in their understanding. A gelongma ( Wylie : dge slong ma ) is the Standard Tibetan term for a bhikṣuṇī, a monastic who observes the full set of vows outlined in the vinaya . While the exact number of vows observed varies from one ordination lineage to another, generally the female monastic observes 360 vows while

292-634: A factual account." According to the one scriptural account of the introduction of the Garudammas (the Gotamī Sutta, Aṅguttara Nikāya 8.51, repeated in the later Cullavagga at X.1), the reason the Buddha gave for his actions was that admission of women to the sangha would weaken it and shorten its lifetime to 500 years. This prophecy occurs only once in the Canon and is the only prophecy involving time in

365-414: A husband would have been rather insecure and rape seems to have been far from uncommon." According to him the reference to a reduced duration has been misunderstood: On the assumption that the present passage could have originally implied that women joining the order will be in a precarious situation and their practicing of the holy life might not last long, the reference to a shortening of the lifespan of

438-675: A later invention. The stories, sayings and deeds of a substantial number of the preeminent bhikkhunī disciples of the Buddha as well as numerous distinguished bhikkhunīs of early Buddhism are recorded in many places in the Pali Canon , most notably in the Therigatha and Theri Apadana as well as the Anguttara Nikaya and Bhikkhuni Samyutta. Additionally the ancient bhikkhunīs feature in the Sanskrit Avadana texts and

511-431: A layperson. Then, the renunciate vows of rabtu jungwa (rab-jung) are given before the getsulma (Tibetan novice) ordination vows are given. After these, full bhikkhunī ordination may be given. Theravadan women may choose to take an informal and limited set of vows similar to the historical vows of the getsulma (Sanskrit sāmaṇerī ), like the maechi of Thailand and thilashin of Myanmar . The tradition of

584-603: A life following the teachings of the Buddha. They observe 8–10 precepts, but do not follow exactly the same codes as bhikkhunīs. They receive popular recognition for their role. But they are not granted official endorsement or the educational support offered to monks. Some cook while others practise and teach meditation. Robes are orange/yellow for Theravadins in Vietnam , Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal , Laos , Cambodia , and Burma . The colour of robes distinguishes both level of ordination and tradition, with white (usually worn by

657-1204: A male renunciant before ordination) or pink symbolising a state of ambiguity, being on the threshold of a decision, no longer secular and not yet monastic. In Myanmar, Ten-precepts ordained nuns or the Sayalays (there are no fully ordained bhikkhunīs) are usually wearing pink. A key exception to this is in the countries where women are not allowed to wear robes that signify full ordination, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and (Theravadin in) Vietnam. White or pink robes are worn by Theravada women renunciants who are not fully ordained. These women are known as dasa sil mata in Sri Lankan Buddhism , thilashin in Burmese Buddhism , Maechi in Thai Buddhism , guruma in Nepal and Laos and siladharas at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, now known as Dhammananda Bhikkhuni ,

730-425: A monastic, where the genyen maintains celibacy, or as a lay practitioner, where the married genyen maintains fidelity. Starting with the novice ordination, some may choose to take forty years to gradually arrive at the vows of a fully ordained monastic. Others take the getsulma and gelongma vows on the same day and practice as a gelongma from the beginning, as the getsulma vows are included within

803-638: A nun is a bhikkhuni , Sanskrit bhikṣuṇī . These words literally mean "beggar" or "one who lives by alms ", and it was traditional in early Buddhism for the Sangha to go on "alms round" for food, walking or standing quietly in populated areas with alms bowls ready to receive food offerings each day. Although in the vinaya laid down by the Gautama Buddha, the sangha was not allowed to engage directly in agriculture, this later changed in some Mahayana schools when Buddhism moved to East Asia, so that in

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876-482: A part of daily chanting: The Sangha: The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples ( sāvakas ) is: That is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals - This Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is: The Sangha was originally established by Gautama Buddha in the fifth century BCE in order to provide a means for those who wish to practice full-time in a direct and highly disciplined way, free from

949-705: A procedure held by Dodangoda Revata Mahāthera and the late Mapalagama Vipulasāra Mahāthera of the Maha Bodhi Society in India with assistance from monks and nuns of the Jogye Order of Korean Seon . Theravādin ordination is available for women (as of 2006) in Sri Lanka , where many of the current bhikkhunīs have been ordained. The ordination process has several stages, which can begin with Anagarika (non-ordained) precepts and wearing white robes, but

1022-935: A similar vein, major canonical Mahayana sutras such as the Lotus Sutra , chapter 12, records 6,000 bhikkhunī arhants receiving predictions of bodhisattvahood and future buddhahood by Gautama Buddha . According to the Buddhist Canon , female monastics are required to follow special rules that male monastics do not, the Eight Garudhammas . Their origin is unclear; the Buddha is quoted by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu as saying, "Ananda, if Mahaprajapati Gotami accepts eight vows of respect, that will be her full ordination (upasampada)." According to Bhante Sujato , modern scholars such as Hellmuth Hecker  [ de ] and Bhikkhu Bodhi "have shown that this story abounds in textual problems, and cannot possibly be

1095-487: A vow of vegetarianism. According to Mahayana sutras, Shakyamuni Buddha always maintained that lay persons were capable of great wisdom and of reaching enlightenment. In some areas there has been a misconception that Theravada regards enlightenment to be an impossible goal for those outside the sangha , but in Theravada suttas it is clearly recorded that the Buddha's uncle, a lay follower, reached enlightenment by hearing

1168-512: A woman is better." The historical authorship of the controversial Eight Garudhammas cannot be traced to the Buddha. Written by others at a later date, it mandated the bhikkhunī order to be subordinate to and reliant upon the bhikkhu (monk) order. There are 253 Vinaya precepts for bhikkus. In places where the bhikkhunī lineage was historically absent or has died out due to hardship, alternative forms of renunciation have developed. In Tibetan Buddhism , women first officially take refuge vows as

1241-462: Is a Pali word used in many Indian languages, including Sanskrit 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

1314-606: Is a Thai scholar who took bhikkhunī ordination in Sri Lanka and returned to Thailand, where bhikkhunī ordination is forbidden and can result in arrest or imprisonment for a woman. She is considered a pioneer by many in Thailand. In 1996, through the efforts of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women , the Theravada bhikkhunī order was revived when 11 Sri Lankan women received full ordination in Sarnath, India, in

1387-524: Is a Western misperception. In the Pali Canon, the Buddha rejected a suggestion by Devadatta to impose vegetarianism on the sangha . According to the Pali Texts, the Buddha ate meat as long as the animal was not killed specifically for him. The Pāli Canon allowed Sangha members to eat whatever food is donated to them by laypeople, except that they may not eat meat if they know or suspect the animal

1460-648: Is as far as many women are allowed to take their practice. In Thailand , ordination of women , although legal since 1992, is almost never practiced and nearly all female monastics are known as maechis (also spelled "mae chee"), regardless of their level of attainment. The first Theravada bhikkhunī ordination in Australia was held in Perth , 22 October 2009, at Bodhinyana Monastery . Four nuns from Dhammasara Nun's Monastery , Ajahn Vayama, Nirodha , Seri and Hasapanna, were ordained as bhikkhunīs in full accordance with

1533-504: Is considered to provide the safest and most suitable environment for advancing toward enlightenment and liberation due to the temptations and vicissitudes of life in the world. In Buddhism , Gautama Buddha , the Dharma and the Sangha each are described as having certain characteristics. These characteristics are chanted either on a daily basis and/or on Uposatha days, depending on the school of Buddhism. In Theravada tradition they are

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1606-566: Is established. The traditional custom is that one is only allowed to study the bhikshu or bhikshuni vows after having taken them." Ven. Tenzin Palmo is quoted with saying: "To raise the status of Tibetan nuns, it is important not only to re-establish the Mulasarvastivada bhikshuni ordination, but also for the new bhikshunis to ignore the eight garudhammas that have regulated their lower status. These eight, after all, were formulated for

1679-542: Is the adherence to the vinaya which contains an elaborate set of "227 main rules of conduct" (known as Patimokkha in Pāli) including complete chastity, eating only before noon, and not indulging in malicious or salacious talk. Between midday and the next day, a strict life of scripture study, chanting, meditation , and occasional cleaning forms most of the duties for members of the sangha . Transgression of rules carries penalties ranging from confession to permanent expulsion from

1752-463: Is unique among Indian religions in that the Buddha as founder of a spiritual tradition explicitly states in canonical literature that a woman is as capable of nirvana as men and can fully attain all four stages of enlightenment . There is no equivalent in other traditions to the accounts found in the Therigatha or the Apadanas that speak of high levels of spiritual attainment by women. In

1825-495: The gelongma . Generally for bhikkhunīs, robes would be maroon with yellow in Tibet . The traditional appearance of Theravada bhikkhunīs is nearly identical to that of male monks, including a shaved head, shaved eyebrows and saffron robes. In some countries, nuns wear dark chocolate robes or sometimes the same colour as monks. The tradition flourished for centuries throughout South and Southeast Asia, but appears to have lapsed in

1898-454: The bhikkhu , bhikkhunī , upāsaka , and upāsikā . In a glossary of Buddhist terms, Richard Robinson et al. define sangha as: Sangha. Community. This word has two levels of meaning: (1) on the ideal ( arya ) level, it denotes all of the Buddha’s followers, lay or ordained, who have at least attained the level of srotāpanna ; (2) on the conventional ( saṃvṛti ) level, it denotes

1971-768: The Bodhisattva Precepts originating in the Brahmajāla Sūtra , which has a vow of vegetarianism as part of the Triple Platform Ordination, where they receive the three sets of vows: śrāmaṇera / śrāmaṇerī (novitiate), monastic, and then the Brahmajāla Sūtra Bodhisattva Precepts, whereas the Tibetan lineages transmit a tradition of Bodhisattva Precepts from Asanga 's Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra , which do not include

2044-463: The Buddhist Canon , women are as capable of reaching enlightenment as men. The Canon describes that the order of bhikkhunīs was first created by the Buddha at the specific request of his aunt and foster-mother Mahapajapati Gotami , who became the first ordained bhikkhunī. A famous work of the early Buddhist schools is the Therigatha , a collection of poems by elder nuns about enlightenment that

2117-472: The East Asian cultural sphere , the monastic community traditionally has engaged in agriculture. An emphasis on working for food is attributed to additional training guidelines laid down by a Chan Buddhist master, Baizhang Huaihai , notably the phrase, "A day without work is a day without food" ( Chinese : 一日不做一日不食 ). The idea that all Buddhists, especially sangha members, practice vegetarianism

2190-588: The Nichiren Shōshū sect maintains the traditionalist definition of the sangha as the Head Temple Taisekiji priesthood collective as the sole custodians and arbiters of Buddhist doctrine. The Soka Gakkai , a new religious movement which began as a lay organization previously associated with Nichiren Shōshū in Japan, disputes the traditional definition of sangha. The organization interprets

2263-660: The Plum Village movement, has fourteen precepts observed by all monastic and lay members of the Order. They were written by Thích Nhất Hạnh . The Fourteen Precepts (also known as Mindfulness Trainings) of the Order of Interbeing act as bodhisattva vows for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs of the Plum Village community. They are to help practitioners not to be too rigid in their understanding of the Pratimoksha and to understand

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2336-581: The Plum Village Tradition , has fourteen precepts observed by all monastics. They were written by Thích Nhất Hạnh . Monks and nuns generally own a minimum of possessions due to their samaya as renunciants, including three robes, an alms bowl, a cloth belt, a needle and thread, a razor for shaving the head, and a water filter. In practice, they often have a few additional personal possessions. Traditionally, Buddhist monks, nuns, and novices eschew ordinary clothes and wear robes. Originally

2409-614: The Theravada tradition of Sri Lanka in the 11th century C.E. It apparently survived in Burma to about the 13th century, but died out there too. Although the bhikkhunī order is commonly said to have never been introduced to Thailand , Laos , Cambodia or Tibet , there is substantial historical evidence to the contrary, especially in Thailand. With the bhikkhunī lineage extinct, no new bhikkhunīs could be ordained since there were no bhikkhunīs left to give ordination. For this reason,

2482-724: The Vinaya , a set of either 311 Theravada , 348 Dharmaguptaka , or 364 Mulasarvastivada school rules. Until recently, the lineages of female monastics only remained in Mahayana Buddhism and thus were prevalent in countries such as China , Korea , Taiwan , Japan , and Vietnam , while a few women have taken the full monastic vows in the Theravada and Vajrayana schools. The official lineage of Tibetan Buddhist bhikkhunīs recommenced on 23 June 2022 in Bhutan when 144 nuns, most of them Butanese, were fully ordained. According to

2555-710: The sangha . Saichō , the founder of the Japanese school of Tendai , decided to reduce the number of rules down to about 60 based on the Bodhisattva Precepts. In the Kamakura , many Japanese schools that originated in or were influenced by the Tendai such as Zen , Pure Land Buddhism and Nichiren Buddhism abolished traditional ordination in favor of this new model of the monastic regulations. The Order of Interbeing , established in 1964 and associated with

2628-666: The Bhikshuni Sangha (community of fully ordained nuns) where it does not currently exist has also been declared one of the objectives of Sakyadhita, as expressed at its founding meeting in 1987 in Bodhgaya, India. The Eight Garudhammas belong to the context of the Vinaya . Bhikkhuni Kusuma writes: "In the Pali, the eight garudhammas appear in the tenth khandhaka of the Cullavagga ." However, they are not to be found in

2701-596: The Buddha's discourse, and there are many other such instances described in the Pāli Canon. Accordingly, emphasis on lay persons, as well as Sangha members, practicing the Buddhist path of morality, meditation, and wisdom is present in all major Buddhist schools. Some liberal scholars opine that sangha is frequently (and according to them, mistakenly) used in the West to refer to any sort of Buddhist community. Accordingly,

2774-430: The Buddha's teaching from a thousand years to five hundred would be a subsequent development. The Vinaya does not allow for any power-based relationship between the monks and nuns. Dhammananda Bhikkhuni wrote: Nuns at the time of the Buddha had equal rights and an equal share in everything. In one case, eight robes were offered to both sanghas at a place where there was only one nun and four monks. The Buddha divided

2847-552: The Buddhist monastic orders due to traits of modern society which were not present in the time of the Buddha. The Revised Pratimoksha is not based on the Eight Garudhammas, but does retain some of the elements in the Garudhammas which are considered to be useful for the education of nuns. It should, however, be observed that Thich Nhat Hanh has also devised Eight Garudhammas for monks to ensure the mutual respect between monks and nuns, which makes it possible for them to collaborate in

2920-578: The Canon. Bodhi notes that, "The fact that the background stories to these rules show them originating at different points in the early history of the Bhikkhuni Sangha casts doubt on the historicity of the present account [in AN 8.51], which shows the eight garudhammas being laid down at the very beginning of the Bhikkhuni Sangha." Bhikkhu Anālayo and Thanissaro Bhikkhu state that garudhammas were initially simply "set out as principles" and did not have

2993-794: The Pali vinaya. However, the Mahayana tradition in China, Korea , Vietnam , Taiwan and Hong Kong has retained the practice, where female monastics are full bhikṣuṇīs. In 13th century Japan, Mugai Nyodai became the first female Zen master in that country. Prajñātārā is the twenty-seventh Indian Patriarch of Zen and is believed to have been a woman. Robes are gray or brown for Mahayana bhikṣuṇīs in Vietnam , gray in Korea ; gray or black in China and Taiwan , and black in Japan . To help establish

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3066-572: The Priesthood" to "The Buddhist Order". Some modernist sects of Nichiren-shu holds a position that any Buddhist community is also called Sangha, along with both liberal and progressive Mahayana lay movements as well claiming this new definition. Bhikkhun%C4%AB A bhikkhunī ( Pali : 𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀼𑀦𑀻 ) or bhikṣuṇī ( Sanskrit : भिक्षुणी ) is a Buddhist nun , fully ordained female in Buddhist monasticism . Bhikkhunīs live by

3139-430: The Theravada version), he also made it more difficult for them to be ordained, and made them subordinate to monks. The bhikkhunī order was established five years after the bhikkhu order at the request of a group of women whose spokesperson was Mahapajapati Gotami , the aunt who raised Gautama Buddha after his mother died. The historicity of this account has been questioned, sometimes to the extent of regarding nuns as

3212-409: The actual ordination process for bhikkhunīs. The text is not allowed to be studied before ordination. "The traditional custom is that one is only allowed to study the bhikshu or bhikshuni vows after having taken them", Karma Lekshe Tsomo stated during congress while talking about Gender Equality and Human Rights: "It would be helpful if Tibetan nuns could study the bhikshuni vows before the ordination

3285-440: The bhikkhuni sangha. This social and spiritual advancement for women was ahead of the times and, therefore, drew many objections from men, including bhikkhus. He was probably well aware of the controversy that would be caused by the harassment of his female disciples. Ian Astley argues that under the conditions of society where there is great discrimination and threat to women living the homeless life, Buddha could not be blamed for

3358-427: The consorts of king Bimbisara became a bhikkhunī and to hold the title of first foremost disciple of Gautam Buddha. Mahapajapati Gotami 's daughter princess Sundari Nanda became a bhikkhunī and an attained arhat . According to Peter Harvey, "The Buddha's apparent hesitation on this matter is reminiscent of his hesitation on whether to teach at all", something he only does after persuasion from various devas . Since

3431-526: The conventional. The two meanings overlap but are not necessarily identical. Some members of the ideal Sangha are not ordained; some monastics have yet to acquire the Dharma-eye. Unlike the present Sangha, the original Sangha viewed itself as following the mission laid down by the Master, viz, to go forth "…on tour for the blessing of the manyfolk, for the happiness of the manyfolk out of compassion for

3504-761: The deportment of a monk. These rules consist of Sāruppa (proper behavior; 26), Bhojanapatisamyutta (food; 30), Dhammadesanāpatisamyutta (teaching dhamma ; 16) and Pakinnaka (miscellaneous; 3). In many countries, it is also standard for novice monks ( samanera ) to follow the Sekhiyavatta rules in addition to the Ten Precepts . Adhikarana-samatha are seven rules for settlement of legal processes that concern monks only. 1. From Buddhist Monastic Code 1, Chapter 4: Parajika. Copyright © 1994, 2007 Thanissaro Bhikkhu Access to Insight edition © 2007 Sangha (Buddhism) Sangha ( IPA: [sɐnɡʱɐ] )

3577-531: The first Sri Lankan Buddhist historical chronicle, the Dipavamsa, itself speculated to be authored by the Sri Lankan bhikkhunī Sangha. Not only normal women, many Queens and princesses left their luxurious life to become bhikkhunīs to have spiritual attainment. According to legend, the former wife of Buddha— Yasodharā , mother of his son Rāhula —also became a bhikkhunī and an arahant . Queen Khema one of

3650-483: The first four of the Five Precepts . The thirteen saṅghādisesas are rules requiring an initial and subsequent meeting of the sangha (communal meetings). If a monk breaks any rule here he has to undergo a period of probation or discipline after which, if he shows himself to be repentant, he may be reinstated by a sangha of not less than twenty monks. Like the pārājikas, the saṅghādisesas can only come about through

3723-424: The household life without incurring immediate harm. Whilst it is one thing to abhor, as any civilized person must do, the attitudes and behavior towards women which underlie the necessity for such protection, it is surely misplaced to criticize the Buddha and his community for adopting this particular policy. Bhikkhu Anālayo goes further, noting that "the situation in ancient India for women who were not protected by

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3796-625: The intentions of Gautama Buddha himself, or of the Buddhist traditions as a whole. In the same paper, however, In Young Chung also noted that cases of Brahmin men and women recorded in the Vinaya treated the bhikkhunīs more harshly using "shaven-headed strumpets or whores", whereas "shaven-headed" was not applied to the bhikkhus in a derogatory manner. This harsher treatment (which also included rape and assault) of bhikkhunis by society required greater protection. Within these social conditions, Gautama Buddha opened up new horizons for women by founding

3869-812: The leadership of the Theravada bhikkhu Sangha in Burma and Thailand deem fully ordained bhikkhunīs as impossible. "Equal rights for men and women are denied by the Ecclesiastical Council. No woman can be ordained as a Theravada Buddhist nun or bhikkhunī in Thailand. The Council has issued a national warning that any monk who ordains female monks will be punished." Based on the spread of the bhikkhunī lineage to countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and Sri Lanka, other scholars support ordination of Theravada bhikkhunīs. Without ordination available to them, women traditionally voluntarily take limited vows to live as renunciants. These women attempt to lead

3942-463: The male monastic observes 265. A getsulma ( Wylie : dge tshul ma ) is a śrāmaṇerikā or novice, a preparation monastic level prior to full vows. Novices, both male and female, adhere to twenty-five main vows. A layperson or child monk too young to take the full vows may take the Five Vows called "approaching virtue" ( Wylie : dge snyan , THL : genyen ). These five vows can be practised as

4015-538: The meaning of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, in particular the "treasure of the Sangha", to include all people who practice Buddhism according to its own interpretation within their organization, whether lay or clerical. After its formal expulsion from its parent religion in December 1991 due to conflicts of religious doctrine, the organization re—published newer literature which revised the terms such as "Treasure of

4088-656: The meta-ethics of Buddhism in terms of Right View and compassion. Plum Village bhikkhunīs recite and live according to the Revised Pratimoksha, a set of 348 rules, based on the Pratimoksha of the Dharmaguptaka school of Buddhism. The Revised Pratimoksha was released in 2003 after years of research and collaboration between monks and nuns of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya tradition. It was devised in order to be able to deal with some corruptions in

4161-413: The monastic community, are referred to as the āryasaṅgha ("noble Sangha"). According to the Theravada school and Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism , the term sangha does not refer to the community of unenlightened sāvakas (lay followers) nor does it refer to the community of Buddhists as a whole. The Theravada school uses the term parisā ("assembly") or catuparisā ("fourfold assembly") to refer to

4234-771: The monk unless there is over-riding evidence. Thus it is not proper for a monk to be alone with a woman, especially in screened or private places. The nissaggiya pācittiya are rules entailing "confession with forfeiture." They are mostly concerned with the possessing of items which are disallowed or obtained in disallowable ways. The monk must forfeit the item and then confess his offense to another monk. There are thirty nissaggiya pācittiya for bhikkhu. Pacittiya are rules entailing confession. There are ninety-two pacittiya; these are minor violations which do not entail expulsion or any probationary periods. Patidesaniya are violations which must be verbally acknowledged. There are seventy-five sekhiya or rules of training, which are mainly about

4307-400: The monk's own intention and cannot be accidentally invoked. The thirteen saṅghādisesas for bhikkus are: The aniyata are two indefinite rules where a monk is accused of having committed an offence with a woman in a screened (enclosed) or private place by a lay person. It is indefinite because the final outcome depends on whether the monk acknowledges the offence. Benefit of the doubt is given to

4380-407: The ordained monastic community ( sangha ) began with the Buddha, who established an order of bhikkhus (monks). According to the scriptures, later, after an initial reluctance, he also established an order of Bhikkhunis (nuns or women monks). However, according to the scriptural account, not only did the Buddha lay down more rules of discipline for the bhikkhunīs (311 compared to the bhikkhu's 227 in

4453-651: The orders of the Bhikṣus and Bhikṣunis. Mahayana practitioners may use the word "sangha" as a collective term for all Buddhists, but the Theravada Pāli Canon uses the word parisā (Sanskrit pariṣad ) for the larger Buddhist community—the monks, nuns, lay men, and lay women who have taken the Three Refuges —with a few exceptions reserving "sangha" for its original use in the Pāli Canon —the ideal ( arya ) and

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4526-427: The restrictions and responsibilities of the household life. The Sangha also fulfils the function of preserving the Buddha's original teachings and of providing spiritual support for the Buddhist lay-community. The Sangha has historically assumed responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the doctrine as well as the translation and propagation of the teachings of the Buddha. The key feature of Buddhist monasticism

4599-418: The robes in half, giving four to the nun and four to the monks, because the robes were for both sanghas and had to be divided equally however many were in each group. Because the nuns tended to receive fewer invitations to lay-people's homes, the Buddha had all offerings brought to the monastery and equally divided between the two sanghas. He protected the nuns and was fair to both parties. They are subordinate in

4672-404: The robes were sewn together from rags and stained with earth or other available dyes. The color of modern robes varies from community to community: saffron is characteristic for Theravada groups; blue, grey or brown for Mahayana Sangha members in Vietnam , maroon in Tibetan Buddhism , grey in Korea , and black in Japan . A Buddhist monk is a bhikkhu in Pali , Sanskrit bhikṣu , while

4745-429: The sense of being younger sisters and elder brothers, not in the sense of being masters and slaves. The progression to ordination as a bhikkhunī is taken in four steps. A layperson initially takes the Ten Precepts , becoming a śrāmaṇerī or novice. They then undergo a two-year period following the vows of a śikṣamāṇā , or probationary nun. This two-year probationary status is not required of monks, and ensures that

4818-410: The special rules for female monastics were given by the founder of Buddhism they have been upheld to this day. Buddhists nowadays are still concerned with that fact, as shows at an International Congress on Buddhist Women's Role in the Sangha held at the University of Hamburg, Germany, in 2007. In Buddhism, women can openly aspire to and practice for the highest level of spiritual attainment. Buddhism

4891-424: The status of a formal training rule until violations occurred. In Young Chung cites Akira Hirakawa in support of the contention "that these rules were appended later," and concludes, These 'Eight Rules' are so different in character and tone from the rest of the body of the Bhikṣuṇī Prātimokṣa that I believe they can be disregarded as later additions, appended by the compilers, and not indicative of either

4964-419: The steps he took in trying to secure the Bhikkhuni Sangha from negative attitudes among laity: In those days (and this still applies to much of present Indian society) a woman who had left the life of the household would otherwise have been regarded more or less as a harlot and subjected to the appropriate harassment. By being formally associated with the monks, the nuns were able to enjoy the benefits of leaving

5037-432: The teaching and practice of the Buddhadharma. In an interview, Chân Không described the Plum Village approach to the Eight Garudhammas: In Plum Village, nuns do not observe the Eight Garudhammas in their traditional sense, as Nhat Hanh claims they were invented only to help the stepmother of the Buddha. I can accept them just to give joy to the monks who practice in the traditional way. If I can give them joy, I will have

5110-440: The tradition of the sangha represents humanity's oldest surviving democratic institution. In Buddhism, sangha refers to the monastic communities of bhikkhu (monks) and bhikkhuni (nuns). These communities are traditionally referred to as the bhikkhu-sangha or the bhikkhuni-sangha . As a separate category, those Buddhists who have attained any of the four stages of enlightenment , whether or not they are members of

5183-408: The world, for the welfare, the blessing, the happiness of deva and men". The Sangha is the third of the Three Refuges in Buddhism. Common over all schools is that the āryasaṅgha is the foremost form of this third jewel. As for its recognizable contemporary forms, the interpretation of what is the Jewel is often dependent on how a school defines Sangha. In many schools, for example, monastic life

5256-442: Was killed specifically for them. Consequently, the Theravada tradition does not practice strict vegetarianism, although an individual may do so as his or her personal choice. Both Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions vary depending on their interpretation of their scriptures. In some Mahayana sutras , meat-eating is strongly discouraged and it is stated that the Buddha did not eat meat. In particular, East Asian sangha members take on

5329-469: Was preserved in the Pāli Canon . The canon also describes extra vows required for women to be ordained as bhikkhunīs. In the Vajrayana of Tibetan Buddhism , Guru Padmasambhava stated that being a woman was actually better than being a man: "The basis for realizing enlightenment is a human body. Male or female – there is no great difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment, to be

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