Entering the priesthood

It refers to leaving family life to enter the Buddhist priesthood and devoting oneself to the path of training, or to the person who does so. It is a translation of the Pali pabbajja or pabbajita, and the Sanskrit pravrajya or pravrajita, and means leaving the family one was born in or the family one belongs to, or the person who does so. It is also called a monk, a donin, a shamon, or a bhikkhu, and is commonly called a monk. It is the opposite of a layperson, a lay person, a lay person, or a sejin. When these two are collectively referred to as a do or a monk, it refers to the "do" or "monk."

The custom of becoming a monk was originally practiced among ascetics in ancient India, and required the consent of one's parents to become a monk. There are five types of monks: bhikkhu (monk), bhikkuni (monk nun), shogakunyo (sikishamana), sami (novice), and sami-ni (novice nun), known as the five classes. Novices and sami-ni receive the Ten Precepts, shogakunyo receive the Six Precepts, and bhikkuni (monk nun) receive the Full Precepts (227 and 311 respectively in the Pali Vinaya and 250 and 348 in the Four Parts of the Vinaya) to attain their respective status. When a person becomes a monk, they give up their secular surname and given name and are given a new monk's name (Sangmyo). In addition, one is to give up obligations such as weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies as a member of the family or clan to which one belongs, as well as rights such as inheritance and distribution of property. In China and Japan, entering the Buddhist priesthood from a layperson is called tokudo.

[Abejien]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

家庭生活を離れて仏門に入り、専一に修行の道に励むこと、またその人をいう。パーリ語のパッバッジャpabbajjaまたパッバジタpabbajita、サンスクリット語のプラブラジュヤpravrajyaまたプラブラジタpravrajitaの訳で、自分の生まれた家、あるいは所属する家を出ること、またその人の意。出家人、道人(どうにん)、沙門(しゃもん)、比丘(びく)ともいい、一般に僧侶(そうりょ)ともよばれる。在家(ざいけ)また在家人、居士(こじ)、世人(せじん)に対する語。両者をあわせて道俗、僧俗とよぶときの「道」あるいは「僧」をさす。

　出家の風習は、元来、古代インドの修行者の間で行われていたもので、出家にあたっては親権者の承諾を必要とした。出家者には、比丘(びく)・比丘尼(びくに)・正学女(しょうがくにょ)（式叉摩那(しきしゃまな)）・沙弥(しゃみ)・沙弥尼(しゃみに)の5種があり、これを五衆(ごしゅ)という。沙弥・沙弥尼は十戒を、正学女は六戒を、比丘・比丘尼は具足(ぐそく)戒（パーリ律ではそれぞれ227.311、四分律(しぶんりつ)では250.348）を受けておのおのの身分となる。出家すると、世俗時の苗字(みょうじ)や名前を捨てて、新たに出家者の名前（僧名）がつけられる。また、自らの所属する家庭あるいは一族の構成員としての冠婚葬祭などの義務や、財産相続・分与などの権利を放棄することになる。なお、在家から仏門に入ることを中国・日本では得度(とくど)という。

［阿部慈園］

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