Sangha

Buddhist monastic order

Sangha refers specifically to the monastic community in Buddhism—the ordained monks and nuns who have renounced worldly life.

As one of the Three Jewels, taking refuge in the Sangha is a fundamental Buddhist practice.

The term appears in formal religious contexts and scholarship: The Sangha has preserved Buddhist teachings for over two millennia. (Lowercase sangha often includes lay practitioners.)

refuge

Buddha

Enlightened spiritual founder

dharmaCosmic moral order
commitmentFirm pledge to act
pathRoute for traveling

tradition · lineage · transmission · teacher · student · bodhisattva · vow · dedication · aspiration · faith

monastic

ordination

Clergy appointment ceremony

vinayaBuddhist moral conduct
monasteryReligious seclusion dwelling
robesLong loose outer garments

precepts · novice · abbot · abbess · celibacy · renunciation · lama · monastic · temple · congregation

traditions

Theravada

Buddhism of the elders

MahayanaBuddhism stressing universal liberation
ZenMeditative Buddhist school
TibetanOf a Himalayan region

practice

vipassana

Clear-seeing contemplative practice

meditationFocused attention practice
chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
prostrationUtter physical or mental depletion

mudra · mantra · satori · zazen · puja · offering · bowing · mindfulness · retreat · zendo

philosophy

dharma

Cosmic moral order

nirvanaRelease from cyclical existence
karmaSpiritual cause and effect
bodhiBuddhist spiritual awakening

compassion · bodhisattva · Enlightenment · Four Noble Truths · samsara

Sangha

Buddha

ordination

Theravada

vipassana

dharma

Sangha

Opposites

Categories