Relationship between the monastic institution
and the laity
The survival of the Buddhist monastic order depends
on two factors: men and women who desire to take up
the monastic life and the LAITYwho support them.
From the earliest period, it was the laity who funded
the construction of the first Buddhist monasteries in
India and beyond.
Despite the fact that a monastic “goes forth”
(pravrajita) from society when he or she enters the
san ̇gha, monks and nuns remain deeply connected to
the laity in a symbiotic manner. The laity ideally sup-
plies the four requisites (food, clothing, shelter, and
medicine) to the monks and nuns in exchange for
guidance and spiritual support in the form of sermons
and the performance of rituals. The interaction be-
tween monastics and the laity varies considerably de-
pending on the type of monastery: Whereas residents
of forest, cave, and mountain monasteries tend to have
more limited contact with the laity, monastics living
in village and city monasteries often have close ties with
the laity. Indeed, along with serving as centers where
the laity could receive instructions on Buddhist doc-
trine and practices, these urban and village monaster-
ies functioned and may still function as educational
centers that teach religious and secular subjects.
Underlying the symbiotic relationship between the
monastic order and the laity is the very important
concept of merit. As the monastic order is made up
of people who represent, perpetuate, and follow the
teachings of the Buddha, the monastic institution it-
self is said to be the highest field of merit and there-
fore most worthy of offerings. According to this
system, donating to the monastic order is one of the
most wholesome acts a person can perform and any-
thing donated to the san ̇gha increases the donor’s
store of merit. Not only does this merit ensure good
fortune and more propitious rebirths in the future, it
can also be transferred to others who need it, such as
a deceased relative.
See also:Chanting and Liturgy; Councils, Buddhist;
Economics; Festivals and Calendrical Rituals; Merit
and Merit-Making; Repentance and Confession
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Press, 1990.JEFFREYSAMUELSMONASTIC MILITIASMonastic militias (Chinese, sengping; Korean, su ̆ng-
byo ̆ng; Japanese, sohei) is a generic term for armed
members of the SAN ̇GHAor the private armed forces
employed by Buddhist monasteries. The term monas-
tic militiais not a Buddhist one, but was coined by
Confucian historians and its use cannot be attested ear-MONASTICMILITIAS