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Orders of monks and nuns

Legendary and historical figures

Orders of Buddhist monks and nuns constitute the core of the Buddhist community. Legend has it that the Buddha himself founded the first monastic order. The lives of monks and nuns are characterized by the renunciation of possessions and by asceticism (ascetic). It is their assignment to transmit the Buddha’s teachings (dharma) within their order, to explain his teachings to lay Buddhists and other interested parties, and to perform certain rituals.