Śīlapālita explains that here “holy” (Tib. tshangs pa; Skt. brahman) refers to nirvāṇa, and so, for Buddhists, a life or practice (Tib. spyod pa; Skt. carya) oriented to that end amounts to a “holy life.” See Śīlapālita (Toh 4115, F.43.b): tshangs pa ni mya ngan las ’das pa yin la/ de’i rgyu mtshan du spyod pa ni tshangs par spyod pa ste/ de dang ’gal ba ni mi tshangs par spyod pa’o.

A euphemism for celibacy.

A term that can refer in some contexts to chastity or complete celibacy, it can also be used in the sense of the overall practice of a religious or spiritual life as a devout person or a renunciant.

Can refer to celibacy in its narrowest sense; in a broader sense it refers to the conduct of those who have renounced worldly life to devote themselves to spiritual study and practice.

Lit. “brahma conduct,” this denotes the conduct of those who have renounced worldly life and entered the ordained Buddhist saṅgha to devote themselves to spiritual study and practice.

The practice of celibacy.

Can refer to celibacy in its narrowest sense; in a broader sense it refers to the conduct of those who have renounced worldly life to devote themselves to spiritual study and practice.

Lit. “brahma conduct,” in Buddhist traditions this term denotes the conduct of those who have renounced worldly life and entered the ordained sangha to devote themselves to spiritual study and practice.

The practice of celibacy or a chaste sexual behavior; this lifestyle also entails different spiritual practices.

A celibate lifestyle focused on spiritual pursuits.

In Buddhist traditions, “brahma conduct” tends to refer to celibacy in particular; in a broader sense, it refers to the conduct of those who have renounced worldly life and devoted themselves to spiritual study and practice.

A celibate lifestyle focused on spiritual pursuits.

See “religious life.”

The expression brahmacārya (tshangs pa lha’i spyod pa) refers to the conduct of a student in training and encompasses a wide range of activities including moral restraint in general (including celibacy, refraining from killing and harming beings, etc.), devotion to academic studies and religious practices, as well as the simplification of one’s lifestyle in regard to food, lodging, and so forth.

See “holy life.”

Also translated as “holy living.”

See “religious life.”

Śīlapālita explains that here “holy” (Tib. tshangs pa; Skt. brahman) refers to nirvāṇa, and so, for Buddhists, a life or practice (Tib. spyod pa; Skt. carya) oriented to that end amounts to a “holy life.”See Śīlapālita (F.43.b): tshangs pa ni mya ngan las ’das pa yin la/ de’i rgyu mtshan du spyod pa ni tshangs par spyod pa ste/ de dang ’gal ba ni mi tshangs par spyod pa’o.

While in its narrowest sense this term refers to celibacy, Sonam Angdu explains its broader meaning: tshangs pa ’am bsil bar gyur pa’i don du na mya ngan ’das pa la bya, “Those actions that lead beyond sorrow to the goal of purity or peace” (Angdu 62).

Also rendered here as “code of conduct,” “celibacy” and “brahmacarya.”

The expression brahmacārya (tshangs pa lha’i spyod pa) encompasses a wide range of activities including moral restraint in general (including celibacy, refraining from killing and harming beings, etc.), devotion to studies and religious practices, as well as the simplification of one’s lifestyle in regard to food, lodging, and so forth.

Brahman is a Sanskrit term referring to what is highest (parama) and most important (pradhāna); the Nibandhana commentary explains brahman as meaning here nirvāṇa, and thus the brahman conduct is the “conduct toward brahman,” the conduct that leads to the highest liberation, i.e., nirvāṇa. This is explained as “the path without outflows,” which is the “truth of the path” among the four truths of the noble ones. Other explanations (found in the Pāli tradition) take “brahman conduct” to mean the “best conduct,” and also the “conduct of the best,” i.e., the buddhas. In some contexts, “brahman conduct” refers more specifically to celibacy, but the specific referents of this expression are many.

See “celibate renunciate.”

One who abstains from sexual activity as a religious observance.

The observance of celibacy.

See “holy life.”

See “religious life.”

Lit. “brahma conduct.” In a Buddhist context this term refers to those who have committed themselves to celibacy and the pursuit of a spiritual life.

In Mahāyāna understood as pure conduct in the sense of compassion and so on; in other traditions understood as chastity.

In Buddhism, a term denoting a religious life grounded in renunciation and chastity. In the brahmanical traditions, this refers specifically to the stage in one’s youth dedicated to focused study of religious scripture and practice.

To maintain chaste conduct.