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A bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a Buddhist monk. (Pāli; Sanskrit: bhikṣu, bhikṣunī.)
The term literally means "beggar". A bhikkhu has taken a vow to enter the Sangha (Buddhist monastic community) and is expected obey a rule of conduct known as the Vinaya, although there are considerable local variations in the interpretations of these rules.