Bhikshu Page

Bhikshu

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See also Bhikshuni

Also called: Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, bhikṣu

Bhikshu 比丘

Bhikshu is a Sanskrit [[word; it is the technical designation for a fully ordained Buddhist Monk, one who leads a pure and celibate life and who upholds the basic 250 monastic regulations (227 in the Theravada tradition).

"Bhikshu has three meanings, and so it is not translated from Sanskrit. It means]] 'mendicant,' 'frightener of Māra' [the king of the heavenly demons], and 'destroyer of evil.' Above, a Bhikshu seeks the food of Dharma from all the Buddhas to nourish his Dharma body. Below, he seeks food from living beings to nourish the life of his wisdom. In making the alms round for food, he must seek alms from the rich and poor equally. What benefits does making the alms round for food bring? It gives living beings a chance to plant blessings. Living beings make offering]]s to the Triple Jewel in order to attain blessings and virtue. Unless they make offering]]s to the TRIPLE JEWEL, their blessings thin out, and day by day they accordingly undergo more suffering. Many people don't know enough to make offering]]s on their own, and so the Bhikshus make the alms round for food to make them aware of this practice. Seeking alms helps the Bhikshus to reduce their greed. It also helps lay people give rise to charitable states of mind. When Bhikshus seek alms, they make the alms round in succession, from one house to the next; they can't skip over the poorer families and seek alms from the rich, hoping for better offerings. They must not discriminate in their seeking alms. They have to seek alms equally from all living beings, so that all will have an equal opportunity to plant blessings.

"The second meaning of the word Bhikshu is 'frightener of Māra.' When a person leaves the home-life to become a Bhikshu, the heavenly demons get upset. This is like your coming here to study the Buddha Dharma: the demon kings use all their tricks to get you to quit studying, because they don't like it one bit. If you leave the home-life, the demons become even more unhappy. When a Bhikshu steps up on the Precept Platform for the Bhikshu Precepts to be transmitted, the three masters and seven certifiers (representing the Buddhas of the ten [[directions]] and the three periods of [[time), who administer and certify the precepts, ask him, 'Have you brought forth the Bodhi Mind?' BODHI RESOLVE] And he says, 'Yes.' Then they ask him, 'Are you a great hero?' And he says, 'Yes, I am.' At that time, an earth-traveling yakṣa takes the news to a space-traveling yakṣa, and the space-traveling yakṣa flies up to the demon kings in the heavens and informs them that, among human being]]s, yet another one has left home to become a Bhikshu. When the demon king hears this, his palace quakes, as if there were an earth quake, and the demon king is afraid. Thus, Bhikshus are called 'frighteners of Māra.'

"Third, the word Bhikshu means]] 'destroyer of evil.' Bhikshus break through all the evils of the afflictions. People have afflictions which come to them at birth. When they are born, they lose their tempers and get angry and cry. Bhikshus break through afflictions, and just that is bodhi. They give rise to the Bodhi Mind.

"Since the word Bhikshu includes these three meanings, it is not translated but is left in the Sanskrit." (DFS IX 1683-1685) The three meanings of Bhikshu complement the three meanings of ARHAT.

ALTERNATE TRANSLATIONS: (etymological]]ly 'one who wishes to share or partake') almsman, mendicant, a Buddhist Monk or priest

SEE ALSO: śramaṇa, Bhikshuni, Sangha, moral precepts

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Fair Use Sources

Fair Use Sources:
* Buddhism A to Z - A Buddhist Encyclopedia
* 84,000 Dharma Doors - A Comprehensive Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Buddhism

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