sangha

In Buddhism, the sangha refers to the community of religious practitioners. Buddhists consider the sangha one of the Three Jewels of their religion, along with the Buddha and the Dharma. There are many different branches of the sangha in different Buddhist traditions, including monks in monasteries, nuns in nunneries, and lay-practitioners. Traditionally, most Buddhist monks take vows of chastity, non-violence, and so on at ordination and live studying philosophy, meditating, and carrying out rituals on behalf of the community. In Newar Buddhism, the sangha is formed by household monks and their families. Boys from Vajracharya and Shakya families go through the symbolic rituals of ordination, becoming monks for four days.