Bhikkhu

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bhikkhu

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the monastic designation?An ordained male member of the Buddhist monastic community (Sangha)
2. What is the core discipline?Governed by the rules of the pratīmokṣa to foster spiritual development
3. Why do bhikkhus live without many possessions?They give up worldly items to focus on meditation and reduce desires that cause suffering, helping them move toward nirvana.
4. How do bhikkhus learn and practice Buddhism?They study the dharma, meditate, and follow a detailed set of rules called the pātimokkha, which guides their daily life and keeps them mindful.

Bhikkhu: An ordained male Buddhist monk who has renounced worldly life to pursue spiritual liberation.
Sangha: The community of Buddhist monastics, comprising both ordained monks (bhikkhus) and nuns (bhikkhunis).
Pratīmokṣa: The foundational code of monastic discipline containing hundreds of precepts for monks and nuns.
Nirvana: The ultimate state of liberation from suffering, desire, and the cycle of rebirth in Buddhism.