Bhikkhu

A bhikkhu is a fully ordained Buddhist monk who undertakes a formal monastic discipline. In Theravada traditions, that discipline is chiefly laid down in the Vinaya.

Vinaya: The Buddhist body of monastic rules and procedures governing the conduct of ordained communities. Its rules supply the discipline a bhikkhu undertakes at ordination.
Alms round: The practice of walking to receive food offerings from laypeople. It is a traditional way bhikkhus obtain their daily food.
Samanera: A Buddhist novice monk who has not received full ordination. Unlike a bhikkhu, a samanera remains at novice status.
Mahinda: A Buddhist monk traditionally credited with bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa. His mission helped establish the island’s Theravada monastic community.
Pratimoksha: A recitation of monastic training rules that ordained Buddhists undertake to observe. Its rules set recurring standards for a bhikkhu’s conduct.
Vassa: The annual three-month rainy-season retreat observed by Buddhist monastics. Bhikkhus reside in one place and intensify communal practice during this period.
Bhikkhuni: A fully ordained Buddhist nun who follows a monastic code of discipline. The parallel female monastic role differs in ordination lineage and rules.
Buddhaghosa: A fifth-century Buddhist commentator associated with influential Pali works, including the Visuddhimagga. His writings became central to study and meditation in Theravada monasteries.
Upasampada: The higher ordination ceremony through which a Buddhist candidate becomes a fully ordained monk or nun. This ceremony confers the status meant by bhikkhu.
Pavarana: A ceremony at the end of the Buddhist rains retreat when monastics invite admonition from one another. It provides a formal setting for bhikkhus to address conduct during Vassa.

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