TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)respect for the Buddhist monk.^14 In inscriptions and other documents from the
Malla period they are called Siikyabhilcyu or Siikyavaf!lsa (implying descent from
the clan of the Sakyas), and in Patan those who were members of a bah! as
opposed to a biihii were often called Brahmacarya-bhilcyu (though in fact they
were married). Today most of the ordinary bare use the surname Sakya, while
those who are tantric priests use the surname Vajracarya.
The sailgha of most monasteries claim descent from a common ancestor, or
one of several brothers who are considered to be the founders of the vihiira. Few
vihiiras can document their history and origins, but the tradition of descent from
a common ancestor is preserved in legends and underlined by the worship of a
common lineage deity (digu/degu-dya). Every Newar (and in fact every Nepali)
lineage has such a deity which is worshipped once a year by the lineage
members as a group. Every family of Sakyas or Vajracaryas has a lineage deity;
and, in all but a few cases, all of the members of the sailgha of a vihiira share a
common lineage deity. Lineage deities are usually situated outside the town or
village, and the shrine consists of a very simple enclosure with one or more ani-
conic stones. For most people, the lineage deity does not have a name, it is
simply degu dya. However, in most cases the lineage deities of the members of a
vihiira have an identity. Frequently the deity is a caitya, or one of the transcend-
ent Buddhas, but very often it is identified as a tantric deity such as Cakrasarp.-
vara, Y ogambara or Vajrayogini. The common descent is also underlined by the
fact that marriages within a sailgha are forbidden on grounds of consanguinity.
The exceptions prove the rule: in the few cases where marriages are permitted
within the sailgha, it is because the sailgha is made up of two or more groups of
people with different origins.
From the viewpoint of Buddhism the bhilcyus initiated in a given vihiira, plus
their wives and children, constitute the sail.gha. However, in Newar society this
has further ramifications. The Valley has always been ruled by Hindu kings and
is basically a caste society. The bare are in fact a caste, the highest caste among
the Buddhist Newars, with the tantric priests considered to be slightly higher
than the other bare. Their position is the same as that of the brahmans among the
Hindu Newars.
From the viewpoint of social custom and social interaction, the members of a
vihiira-smigha constitute a giith!. A giith! (Sanskrit go$thi) is an organization
based on caste or kinship, or occasionally on geographical propinquity,
which ensures the continued observance of the social and religious customs
and ceremonies of the community. Giith!s in general are social institutions
which determine the rights and obligations of a Newar towards his community.
Every Newar is a member of several such giithls, and membership in religious
and functional giithls (such as the funeral giithl-si giithl) is compulsory and
inherited. Such membership defines a person's place in society, and to lose
membership in such a giithl is to lose one's place in society. Each giithl origin-
ally had an endowment, some agricultural land, from which the members
obtained an annual income to finance the activities of the giithl. Whatever