Buddhist titles

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, bodhi ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or bodhi in order to compassionately help other individuals reach Buddhahood.

thumb|Arhat Garden at Hsi Lai Temple in the [[San Gabriel Valley of Southern California]]

A bhikkhu (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (bhikkhunī) are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community).

A bhikkhunī (, ) is a fully ordained Buddhist nun. Bhikkhunīs live by the Vinaya, a set of monastic rules and ethical precepts. The total of codes of conduct prescribed for nuns amounts to either 311 (Theravada school), 348 (Dharmaguptaka school), or 364 (Mulasarvastivada school). Until recently, the lineages of female monastics only remained in Mahayana Buddhism and thus were prevalent in countries such as China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Vietnam, while a few women have taken the full monastic vows in the Theravada and Vajrayana schools. The official lineage of Tibetan Buddhist bhikkhunīs rec

In Indian religions and society, an acharya (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ācariya) is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism and secular contexts.

title used for Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant whose heroic virtue has been proclaimed by the church

ancient Indian term used to refer to an ideal universal ruler

thumb|right|Upasakas praying in Yangon, Myanmar. Upāsaka (masculine) or Upāsikā (feminine) are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism (or, historically, of The Buddha) who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, and who undertake certain vows. In modern times they have a connotation of dedicated piety that is best suggested by terms such as "lay devotee" or "devout lay follower".

thumb|Sāmaṇeras from Theravada Buddhism, [[Thailand]] thumb|Sāmaṇeras from the Jogye Order of [[Korean Seon]] A '''''' (Pali; ) is a novice male monastic in Buddhism. A novice female monastic is a , in Sanskrit or .

In Buddhism, a ' (Pali) or ' (Sanskrit)—translated variously as "stream-enterer", "stream-entrant" or "stream-winner"—is one who has reached the first of the four stages of enlightenment. Stream entry is purportedly followed by three subsequent stages of awakening: Sakadāgāmi (once-returner), Anāgāmi (non-returner), and Arahant (fully liberated).

thumb|255px|Four Mahasiddhas (18th century, Boston MFA). Saraha in top left, Dombhi Heruka top right, [[Naropa bottom left, and Virupa bottom right.]]

alt=Anagami|thumb|Anagami In Buddhism, an anāgāmin (Sanskrit; Pāli: anāgāmī, lit. 'non-returning') is a partially enlightened person who has cut off the first five fetters that bind the ordinary mind. Anāgāmins are the third of the four aspirants.

Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) or sāvaka (Pali) means "hearer" or, more generally, "disciple". This term is used in Buddhism and Jainism. In Jainism, a śrāvaka is any lay Jain so the term śrāvaka has been used for the Jain community itself (for example see Sarak and Sarawagi). Śrāvakācāras are the lay conduct outlined within the treaties by Śvetāmbara or Digambara mendicants. "In parallel to the prescriptive texts, Jain religious teachers have written a number of stories to illustrate vows in practice and produced a rich répertoire of characters."

Thero (commonly appearing in the masculine and feminine forms thera and therī respectively) is an honorific term in Pali for senior bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) in the Buddhist monastic order. The word literally means "elder". These terms, appearing at the end of a monastic's given name, are used to distinguish those who have at least 10 years since their upasampada (higher ordination). The name of an important collection of very early Buddhist poetry is called the Therigatha, "Verses of the Therīs".

In Buddhism, the Sakadāgāmin (Pali; Sanskrit: Sakṛdāgāmin, ), "returning once" or "once-returner," is a partially enlightened person, who has cut off the first three chains with which the ordinary mind is bound, and significantly weakened the fourth and fifth. Sakadagaminship is the second stage of the four stages of enlightenment.

Bhāṇaka (Pali: reciter) were Buddhist monks who specialized in the memorization and recitation of a specific collection of texts within the Buddhist canon. Lineages of bhāṇakas were responsible for preserving and transmitting the teachings of the Buddha until the canon was committed to writing in the 1st century BC, and declined as the oral transmission of early Buddhism was replaced by writing.

Buddhist term most broadly referring to any layperson

Buddhist title in English-speaking countries

alt=Anagarika the person who dedicated his life to practice Buddhism|thumb|Anagarika Dharmapala In Buddhism, an anagārika (Pali, 'homeless one', ; f. anagārikā ) is a person who has given up most or all of their worldly possessions and responsibilities to commit full-time to Buddhist practice. It is a midway status between a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni (fully ordained monastics) and laypersons. An anagārika takes the Eight Precepts, and might remain in this state for life.

Titles for honorable people in India.

title of monk officials in Buddhism

thumb|300px|Padmasambhāva|Padmasambhava, the archetypal vajra master in [[Tibetan Buddhism, holding a vajra and a skullcup, both important tantric ritual implements.]]

200px|thumb|Young Indian Buddhist monk with statues of the Buddha and [[B. R. Ambedkar in Indian vihara or monastery]]Bhante (Pali; , ; ), sometimes also Bhadanta, is a respectful title used to address Buddhist monks, nuns, and superiors, especially in the Theravada tradition. In English, the term is often translated as Venerable.

Kappiya is a Buddhist lay manciple (attendant or steward) who resides in a monastery (vihāra) and assists Buddhist monks (bhikkhu in Pali).