Monastic Order in Buddhism (Samgha
Subject Areas : Philosophy
T. Tavakkoli
1
(ندارد)
Keywords:
Abstract :
Monasticism is regarded as the most essential principle of attainingNirvāna, so much so that it may be claimed that according to theBuddha, attainment of Nirvāna is impossible without renunciationof the common worldly life and exercising ascetic practices.« Samgha » is the concrete expression of this cocept, which wasformed during Buddha’s lifetime. It was designed to provide acontext for applying monastic discpline, as well as teaching andtransmitting Dharma by constituting a unified and homogenousparty.On the importance of this community it suffices to say that from thedoctrinal point of view samgha is one of the three jewels or threerefuges alongside the other two, i. e. Buddha and Dharma. It is alsoseen as the guardian of these two principles. From the sociologicalpoint of view samgha, like any other sociological doctrinalinstitution, in spite of having common elements and functions inpersonal and communal spheres in various lands, it graduallytransformed into a distinctive form in each society.Introducing the cods and disciplines of samgha and the relatedbooks, alongside the analysis of common distinguishing charactersand functions of samgha, constitute major themes of this article.