Śrāmaṇa

views updated

Śrāmaṇa (Skt.; Pāli, sammana; Chin., shamen). In Eastern religions, the name given to members of male communities (usually translated as ‘monks’) or ascetics; the feminine (‘nuns’) is śrāmani. The śrāmaṇas were numerous at the time of the Upaniṣads, and may have been precursors of Jains and Buddhists.