Editing Sangha (section)

== Monastic tradition ==
{{main|Buddhist monasticism}}
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2015}}
[[File:Luang Prabang Takuhatsu ルアンパバーン 托鉢僧 DSCF6990.JPG|thumb|upright|''Sangha'', [[Luang Prabang]], [[Laos]]]]
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 the restrictions and responsibilities of the household life.<ref>Robinson et al. (2005). "Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction". Fifth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson, p. 36.</ref> 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 [[Missionary#Buddhist missions|propagation of the teachings]] of the Buddha.

The key feature of Buddhist monasticism 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.<ref>''Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations'', Third Edition. Linda Woodhead. P. 273</ref> 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''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Duties of the Sangha |url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/duties.html#pq |author=Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo |author-link=Ajahn Lee |translator=[[Thanissaro Bhikkhu]] |date=1995 |access-date=12 December 2011 |archive-date=5 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705165440/http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/duties.html#pq |url-status=live }}</ref> Transgression of rules carries penalties ranging from confession to permanent expulsion from the ''sangha''.

===Japanese monastic regulations===
[[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 Fourteen Precepts of the Order of Interbeing===
The [[Order of Interbeing]], established in 1964 and associated with the [[Plum Village Tradition]], has fourteen precepts observed by all monastics.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.orderofinterbeing.org/about/our-history/|title=Order of Interbeing History|date=2011-07-12|work=Order of Interbeing {{!}} Tiep Hien|access-date=2017-06-17|language=en-US|archive-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015053642/https://orderofinterbeing.org/about/our-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> They were written by [[Thích Nhất Hạnh]].

===Possessions===
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 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 (color)|saffron]] is characteristic for Theravada groups; blue, grey or brown for Mahayana Sangha members in [[Buddhism in Vietnam|Vietnam]], [[maroon]] in [[Tibetan Buddhism]], [[grey]] in [[Buddhism in Korea|Korea]], and [[black]] in [[Buddhism in Japan|Japan]].

===Attitudes regarding food and work===
[[File:Bodleian MS. Burm. a. 12 Life of the Buddha 15-18.jpg|thumb|[[Shakyamuni Buddha]] and his followers, holding begging bowls, receive offerings. An 18th-century Burmese watercolor. ]]
A Buddhist monk is a ''bhikkhu'' in [[Pali]], Sanskrit ''bhikṣu'', while a nun is a ''bhikkhuni'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī''. These words literally mean "beggar" or "one who lives by [[dāna|alms]]",<ref name=Buswell-2013/>{{RP|115}}<ref>[[Nyanatiloka]] (1988). [http://www.palikanon.com/english/wtb/b_f/bhikkhu.htm Buddhist dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820223138/http://www.palikanon.com/english/wtb/b_f/bhikkhu.htm |date=20 August 2017 }} – ''Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines'', Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. {{ISBN|9552400198}}</ref> and it was traditional in [[Early Buddhist schools|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 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 Buddhism|Chan Buddhist]] master, [[Baizhang Huaihai]], notably the phrase, "A day without work is a day without food" ({{lang-zh|c=一日不做一日不食}}).{{quote without source|date=May 2018}}

The idea that all Buddhists, especially ''sangha'' members, practice [[vegetarianism]] 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 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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091010224643/http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bullitt/bfaq.html#veggie#pg]</ref>

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 the [[Bodhisattva Precepts#Brahma Net Sutra|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: [[samanera|śrāmaṇera]]/[[śrāmaṇerī]] (novitiate), monastic, and then the ''Brahmajāla Sūtra'' Bodhisattva Precepts, whereas the Tibetan lineages transmit a [[Bodhisattva Precepts#Bodhisattvabhumi|tradition of Bodhisattva Precepts]] from [[Asanga]]'s ''[[Yogacarabhumi-sastra|Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra]]'', which do not include 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 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.