Bhikkhu

A bhikkhu is an ordained male member of the Buddhist monastic community.

This community is known as the Sangha. Both male and female monastics, called bhikkhunīs, belong to this group. The lives of all monastics are guided by specific rules. These rules are called the prātimokṣa or pātimokkha. Monastics shape their lifestyles to support spiritual practice. They aim to live simple, meditative lives to attain nirvana. The term bhikkhu literally translates to "beggar" or "one who lives by alms."

This lifestyle traces back to the historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha. He abandoned a life of status and pleasure to live as an alms mendicant. This was part of his śramaṇa lifestyle. His most serious students also renounced life as householders to study under him. These early members of the Sangha wandered from town to town. They lived off alms throughout the year. They only stayed in one place during the Vassa, which are the rainy monsoon months. In the Dhammapada commentary by Buddhaghoṣa, a bhikkhu is defined as someone who sees danger in samsara, the cycle of rebirth.

Ordination follows a structured process of increasing commitment. A lay person first undergoes a rite called the pabbajja, or "going forth." They then become a novice, known as a śrāmaṇera or sāmanera. Novices are subject to the Ten Precepts. A person must be at least 20 years old to become a fully ordained bhikkhu.

After training, they undergo full ordination called upasampada. Full monastics must follow the much longer set of rules in the Pātimokkha. In Tibetan Buddhism, these stages often occur at ages six, fourteen, and twenty-one. Monastics may take these vows for life. However, they can renounce them and return to non-monastic life. They can even take the vows again later, though schools limit how many times this can happen to keep the vows "clean."

Different Buddhist traditions follow different sets of monastic rules. These rules are found in the Vinaya Pitaka. East Asian Buddhism generally follows the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya.

Tibetan Buddhism follows the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya.

In some Mahayana traditions, monastics take "vows of individual liberation" to develop ethical discipline. In Tibetan Buddhism, the term Sangha can also refer to the aryasangha. This is the community of noble ones who have reached the first bodhisattva bhūmi. These individuals do not necessarily have to be monks or nuns.

Significant changes occurred in the history of Japanese Buddhism. In the 9th century, the monk Saichō believed the 250 Vinaya precepts were too difficult to maintain. He promoted a system based on Mahayana bodhisattva precepts from the Brahmajala Sutra. His Tendai school required twelve years of isolated training on Mount Hiei. During the Kamakura period, other schools like Jōdo-shū and Sōtō Zen also followed this model.

Later, during the Meiji Restoration in the 1870s, the Japanese government abolished celibacy and vegetarianism. This was part of an effort to secularize religion. As a result, the tradition of Vinaya ordination was effectively lost in Japan. Today, Japanese clergy are often called sōryo rather than bhikkhu.

Monastics wear special clothing called kāṣāya, or robes.

These robes serve as simple protection from the weather. The color of the robes often depends on available local pigments. In Tibet and the Himalayan regions, red is the preferred color. In Myanmar, monks wear reddish brown. In India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, they wear yellow, ochre, or orange. In China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, colors like yellow, gray, or black are common. In some traditions, monks must make their own robes from donated cloth. In Theravada countries, the Kathina Puja is a ceremony where a special robe is made from donations within 24 hours.

Monastic practices also vary in Korea. Following the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, Korean Buddhism underwent many changes. The Temple Ordinance of 1911 replaced collective Sangha management with Japanese-style management. This allowed temple abbots to have private ownership of property. This led to some monks adopting Japanese practices, such as marriage. Today, celibacy varies between Korean sects. The Jogye Order is fully celibate. However, the Taego Order includes both celibate monastics and non-celibate priests.