Bhikkhu

Buddhist monk, mendicant. Bhikkhu (Pāli, equivalent to bhikṣu in Sanskrit) is one who has left household life to dedicate fully to the practice of the Dhamma.

The root bhikk means “to ask” — the bhikkhu lives on alms (piṇḍapāta), depending on the generosity of laypeople. This dependence is not weakness but practice: it cultivates humility, detachment, and reciprocity with the community (saṅgha).

In the Dhammapada, the bhikkhu is the ideal of the committed practitioner. Not because of wearing the robe, but because of the quality of attention: saṅghaṭe hi bhikkhu na saṅghāti — “one is not a bhikkhu by the robe.” The true bhikkhu is one who has abandoned impurities and walks with mindfulness.

In yoga, bhikṣu also designated the renunciate who lived on alms, though the yogic tradition emphasizes inner work more than formal outward renunciation.