The Pali term "Bikkhu" refers to Buddha's original vision of a community of mendicants on alms rounds. It is not a term that applies to the institutional living, non-alms round going of places like China, Korea, Tibet and Japan.
There, for reasons of culture, the monks largely abandoned alms rounds in town in favor of receiving donations to the monastery, including land, serfs and sometimes (yes) slaves!
I wonder if most north Asian clergy are right in calling themselves Bikkhu!?
The Pali term "Bikkhu" refers to Buddha's original vision of a community of mendicants on alms rounds. It is not a term that applies to the institutional living, non-alms round going of places like China, Korea, Tibet and Japan.
There, for reasons of culture, the monks largely abandoned alms rounds in town in favor of receiving donations to the monastery, including land, serfs and sometimes (yes) slaves!
I wonder if most north Asian clergy are right in calling themselves Bikkhu!?
Jundo Cohen
treeleafzendo 3 weeks ago