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upāsaka
upāsaka (Skt.). A Buddhist layman. One of the four divisions of the Buddhist community consisting of monks (bhikṣu), nuns (bhikṣunī), laymen (upāsaka), and laywomen (upāsikā). In the early tradition layfolk became Buddhists by ‘taking refuge’ in the Buddha, Dharma and Saṃgha through recitation of the three refuge formula (triśaraṇa). They were also required to adopt the Five Precepts (pañca-śīla). Lay practice centres on moral conduct and providing material support for the Saṃgha through offerings of food and robes (see cīvara; kaṭhina). Through the performance of good deeds of this kind it is hoped that merit (puṇya) will be gained which will secure improved material conditions in this life and the next, with the hope that at a more remote future time the opportunity will arise to renounce the world and become a monk. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, the role of the laity is more prominent, and the division between laity and monks is subsumed in the ideal of the Bodhisattva. The most famous lay Bodhisattva of the Mahāyāna is Vimalakīrti.
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Cite this article
DAMIEN KEOWN. "upāsaka." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "upāsaka." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-upsaka.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "upāsaka." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-upsaka.html |
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Upāsaka
Upāsaka (fem., upāsikā; Pāli, ‘one who sits close by’). Buddhist layperson, who has taken refuge in the Three Jewels (triratna) and undertaken the five precepts (śīla).
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Upāsaka." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Upāsaka." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Upsaka.html JOHN BOWKER. "Upāsaka." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Upsaka.html |
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