འདལ་བ་གཞ notes.1.39
The Chapter on Going Forth; The Chapter on the Restoration Rite; The Chapter on Lifting Restrictions; The Chapter on the Rains; The Chapter on Medicines notes.1.39
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- English
notes.1.39
39. Consider our use of the word “ordination,” for instance. In Catholicism, one “professes” to become a monk and is “ordained” to become a priest. While a monk may become a priest, the two are distinct vocations, the latter being a clerical office with specific rights and responsibilities not shared by unordained monks. Since the Buddhist tradition does not distinguish between monastic and clerical offices, it is misleading and perhaps even incorrect to translate the Tibetan bsnyen par rdzogs pa (Skt. upasaṃpadā) as “ordination.” However, as we have not yet come upon a satisfactory translation for this term, we have decided to follow established precedent. We are indebted to Wulstan Fletcher for his advice on this term.