Upāsaka (masculine) or Upāsikā (feminine) are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant".^[1] This is the title of followers of Buddhism (Gautama Buddha) who are not monks, nuns or novices in a Buddhist order and who undertake certain vows.^[2] The terms are usually translated as "lay follower" or "lay devotee".^[3] The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Sanskrit language (Skt. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is an old Indo-Aryan language from the Indian Subcontinent, the classical literary language of the Hindus of India[1], a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, which is also a philosophy and a system of psychology. ... Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... Debating bhikkhu in Tibet In Pāli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ... Debating bhikkhu in Tibet In Pāli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into sangha. ...

Precepts

The five vows to be held by upāsakas are referred to as Pañcaśīla (Pāli Pañcasīla) or "Five Precepts": Pancasila or pañca-sila is the fundamental code of Buddhist ethics, willingly undertaken by lay followers of Gautama Buddha. ...

1. I will not take the life of a sentient being;
2. I will not take what has not been given to me;
3. I will refrain from sexual misconduct;
4. I will refrain from harmful speech;
5. I will refrain from becoming intoxicated.

In the Theravada tradition, Eight Precepts are undertaken on weekly or twice-monthly Uposatha days. Theravada (Pāli: theravāda, Sanskrit: sthaviravāda → English: The Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and parts of southwest... The Eight Precepts are the precepts for Buddhist lay men and women who wish to practice a bit more strictly than the usual five precepts for Buddhists. ... Uposatha days are times of renewed dedication to Dhamma practice, observed by both lay people and monastics throughout the world of Theravada Buddhism. ...

Ceremonies and rituals

In traditional Theravada communities, lay people request the Eight Precepts from monastics on Uposatha days (Pali: uposathaŋ samādiyati).^[4] Uposatha days are times of renewed dedication to Dhamma practice, observed by both lay people and monastics throughout the world of Theravada Buddhism. ...

In the Zen tradition, the Jukai (Jap., lit.: "taking the precepts") ceremony is a type of lay ordination. Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience. ... Jukai (受戒, shou jie in Chinese) is an initiation into Zen Buddhism. ...

Traditionally, in India, upāsakas wore white robes, representing a level of renunciation between lay people and monastics. For this reason, some traditional texts make reference to "white-robed lay people" (avadāta-vassana).^[5]

Famous lay followers

In the Vajrayana tradition, a well known Upasaka is Upasaka Dharmatala who serves as the attendant of the 16 arhats. He is seen to be an emanation of Avalokitesvara. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A garden featuring depictions of various arhats (Hsi Lai Temple, California) An arhat (also arahat or arahant; Chinese: 阿羅漢, aluohan; Tibetan: dgra-bcom-pa; Jp. ... Avalokitesvara with a 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Stone Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China. ...

See also

• householder (Buddhism)
• Ngagpa - non-monastic Tibetan Buddhism practitioners

In canonical Buddhism, householder refers to a particular strata of society whose individuals are typified by having a home life and family. ... In Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Ngagpas (sNgags-pa) or male practitioners (female practioners are knowns as Ngagmas or Ngagmos) are non-monastic practitioners of such disciplines as Vajrayana, shamanism, Tibetan medicine, Tantra and Dzogchen amongst other traditions, disciplines and arts. ...

Notes

1. ^ Nattier (2003), p. 25, states that the etymology of upāsikā suggests "those who serve" and that the word is best understood as "'lay auxillary' of the monastic community."
2. ^ Nattier (2003), p. 25, notes: "...[T]he term upāsaka (fem. upāsikā) ... is now increasingly recognized to be not a generic term for supporters of the Buddhist community who happen not to be monks or nuns, but a very precise category designating those lay adherents who have taken on specific vows. ...[T]hese dedicated lay Buddhists did not constitute a free-standing community, but were rather adjunct members of particular monastic organizations."
3. ^ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 150.
4. ^ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), pp. 150-1.
5. ^ Nattier (2003), p. 25 n. 32.

Bibliography

• Nattier, Jan (2003). A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path according to The Inquiry of Ugra (Ugraparpṛcchā). Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 0-8248-2607-8.

• Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.

Thomas William Rhys Davids (May 12, 1843 - December 27, 1922) was an British scholar of the Pāli language and founder of the Pali Text Society. ... The Pali Text Society was founded in 1881 by T.W. Rhys Davids to foster and promote the study of Pali texts. Pali is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism is preserved. ...

External links

• Theravada resources for Upasakas

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