A Buddhist monk or religious mendicant in Sanskrit terminology, living according to Buddhist monastic rules and supported by alms.
From Sanskrit भिक्षु (bhikṣu), meaning 'beggar' or 'one who begs for alms,' derived from the root भिक्ष (bhikṣ) meaning 'to seek alms.' This is the Sanskrit form of the Pali 'bhikku.'
The Sanskrit 'bhikshu' is the formal, older term, while 'bhikku' is the Pali version—the same word traveled through different languages as Buddhism spread across Asia. Scholars use this distinction to trace how Buddhist texts were translated and adapted in different regions from ancient times.
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