page_title: Celibacy
section_title: Buddhism
hierarchical_section_title: Celibacy / Buddhism
caption_attribution_description: Buddhist monks in the ubosot of Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
context_page_description: Celibacy is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term celibacy is applied only to those for whom the unmarried state is the result of a sacred vow, act of renunciation, or religious conviction. In a wider sense, it is commonly understood to only mean abstinence from sexual activity.
  Celibacy has existed in one form or another throughout history, in virtually all the major religions of the world, and views on it have varied. Judaism strongly opposes celibacy. However, the priests of the Essenes, a Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, practised celibacy. The Romans viewed celibacy as an aberration and legislated fiscal penalties against it, with the sole exception granted to the Vestal Virgins. The Islamic attitudes toward celibacy have been complex as well. Several Hadiths indicate that Prophet Muhammad denounced celibacy, but some Sufi orders embrace it.
  Classical Hindu culture encouraged asceticism and celibacy in the later stages of life, after one has met one's societal obligations.
context_section_description: The rule of celibacy in the Buddhist religion, whether Mahayana or Theravada, has a long history. Celibacy was advocated as an ideal rule of life for all monks and nuns by Gautama Buddha, except for Japan where it is not strictly followed due to historical and political developments following the Meiji Restoration. In Japan, celibacy was an ideal among Buddhist clerics for hundreds of years. But violations of clerical celibacy were so common for so long that, finally, in 1872, state laws made marriage legal for Buddhist clerics. Subsequently, ninety percent of Buddhist monks/clerics married. An example is Higashifushimi Kunihide, a prominent Buddhist priest of Japanese royal ancestry who was married and a father whilst serving as a monk for most of his lifetime.
  Gautama, later known as the Buddha, is known for his renunciation of his wife, Princess Yasodharā, and son, Rahula. In order to pursue an ascetic life, he needed to renounce aspects of the impermanent world, including his wife and son. Later on both his wife and son joined the ascetic community and are mentioned in the Buddhist texts to have become enlightened. In another sense, a buddhavacana recorded the zen patriarch Vimalakirti as being an advocate of marital continence instead of monastic renunciation, the sutra became somewhat popular due to its brash humour as well as integrating the role of women in laity as well as spiritual life.
caption: Buddhist monks in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
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