ordination

ordination. Buddhist ordination is a voluntary act and need not be undertaken for life. monks and nuns are free to disrobe and return to lay life at any time if they wish, and in certain countries it has become the custom for males to spend a short time in a monastery (see temporary ordination). In the early days of the Buddha's teaching ministry those who wanted to follow him were admitted simply with the words ‘Come, monk’ (ehi bhikkhu) but a more formal ceremony was soon established. Although there is now much regional variation, the normal pattern in Theravāda countries is for the aspirant to be admitted first as a novice (śrāmaṇera), and then later as a fully fledged monk (bhikṣu) or nun (bhikṣunī). The former is known as the lower ordination (pravrajyā) and the latter as the higher ordination (upasampadā). In the former, the novice repeats three times the formula of the Three Refuges (triśaraṇa) and undertakes the Ten Precepts (daśa-śīla). He/she is then assigned an instructor (ācārya) and a preceptor (upādhyāya). The head is shaved and the novice is presented with three robes (cīvara) and a begging-bowl (piṇḍa-pātra). At the higher ordination the novice become a full member of the Saṃgha and is obliged to follow the rules of the monastic code (Prātimokṣa). Both forms of ordination require a quorum of five ordained monks or nuns with a minimum of ten years in the Order. In Mahāyāna countries there is sometimes a third ordination known as the ‘Bodhisattva ordination’ in the course of which the Bodhisattva vow (pranidhāna) is additionally taken.