saṃgha
| Notes | [S.] var. saṅgha; n. 1) monastic community; The term is most commonly used to refer to the order of Buddhist monks and nuns of Theravāda tradition. In the context of the Newars of the Kathmandu valley, all bāhāḥs and bahīs are inhabited and tended to by initiated members of Śākyas and Vajrācāryas, who are householder monks residing in and around the respective monastery to form its saṃgha. The bare chuigu ritual formally inducts a boy to the saṃgha of his monastery, keeps him in line to take his turn to serve as the dyaḥpāḥlāḥ (guardian of the main deity), and paves way for him to eventually become an āḥju (elder) of the monastery during the later half of his life. Some of the monasteries are very strict in the induction of a new member and do not allow boys from an inter-caste marriage to be initiated at the monastery. 2) one of the Buddhist trinity: the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings) and the Saṃgha (monastic association)̣. In bāhās and bahīs, besides the image of the Buddha, one can see the personification of the Dharma in the form of the image of Prajñāpāramitā seen to the right and the Saṃgha in the form of an image of Ṣaḍakṣarī Lokeśvara to the left of the Buddha. (#new#RS) |
| Type | t.t. |
