A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Monk

A fully ordained Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition. A man who has taken a vow to follow the Buddha’s teaching and to live within a community of fellow monks.

Bhikku can be used as a title for a monk (like “Mister”)and can go before or after his name. For example, Bhikku Bodhi, or Thanissaro Bhikku.

A fully ordained Buddhist nun in the Theravada tradition. A woman who has taken a vow to follow the Buddha’s teaching and to live within a community of fellow nuns.

According to Buddhist tradition, the order of nuns (Bhikkunis) was started by the Buddha when it was requested by his aunt and foster mother.

This literally means ‘The Awakened One’ or ‘Enlightened One’. The Buddha was a human being – he did not claim to be a god or prophet – who became ‘enlightened’, which means that, through his own efforts, he came to understand what life was all about. In Mahayana Buddhism there are many Buddhas. For them, the word ‘Buddha’ can also refer to the way things really are as opposed to the way things seem to be to human perception.

Along with the Dhamma and the Sangha, the Buddha is one of the ‘three jewels’ of Buddhism that followers depend upon for their lasting happiness. A Mahayana temple might contain images of several different Buddhas.

Buddhism is a religion (followers prefer the term “spiritual path”) of around 500 million people, who follow the teachings that began with the Buddha, a man who lived in ancient India around the 5^th Century BCE.

Buddhist texts were written in many different languages. Pali is the language of the texts of the Theravada school, whilst Sanskrit is used for general Mahayana texts. Although Japanese, Chinese and Tibetan texts are important too, we have just provided Pali words first and Sanskrit where there is an alternative.

The teachings of the Buddha about the truth of how and why things are the way they are.

Along with the Buddha and the Sangha, the Dhamma is one of the ‘three jewels’ of Buddhism that followers depend upon for their lasting happiness.

A popular collection of the Buddha’s sayings in 423 verses. It contains practical and ethical advice as well as guidance about the workings of the human mind.

The Dhammapada is the Buddhist text most often found in a Theravada Buddhist home.

Unsatisfactoriness; the idea that life is full of suffering. The first of the Four Noble Truths which sum up the Buddha’s teaching about the world.

Dukkha is one of the three ‘marks of existence’ in Buddhism. A Buddhist might say, “All of life is dukkha because even good things do not last.”

The Path; the way that the Buddha taught to stop suffering. The fourth of the Four Noble Truths which sum up the Buddha’s teaching about the world.

A Buddhist might say, “The Buddha taught an eightfold path (magga) to stop suffering; this involves living the right sort of life that doesn’t harm others, as well as engaging in mindful practices.”

This literally means ‘stopping’ and is the third of the Four Noble Truths which sum up the Buddha’s teaching about the world. The way to stop suffering is to stop wanting the wrong things.

A Buddhist might say that, “if you want to stop suffering you have to stop yourself becoming selfishly attached to things (nirodha); things change and do not last, so it’s foolish to think otherwise!”

This literally means ‘arising’ and is the second of the Four Noble Truths which sum up the Buddha’s teaching about the world. People suffer because they want the wrong things.

A Buddhist might say that, “wanting the wrong things as they come up in your mind (Samudaya) leads only to suffering.”

This usually refers to the community of ordained monks or nuns, especially where Theravada Buddhism is practised, but Mahayana Buddhists may use the word ‘Sangha’ to refer to the whole Buddhist community.

Along with the Buddha and the Dhamma, the Sangha is one of the ‘three jewels’ of Buddhism that followers depend upon for their lasting happiness.

A Buddhist monastery.

The vihara is a place where monks or nuns live and work, and often a place where non-ordained (or “lay”) Buddhists may meet for meditation or learning.