Overview
Bhiksha (Sanskrit: भिक्षा, bhikṣā; Pali: bhikkhā) is a term used across Indic religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It refers to the act of seeking or receiving alms, and by extension to the food or material offering obtained through such asking.
Within these traditions, the practice of seeking bhiksha is closely associated with renunciants, monks and students who live without personal means of livelihood. The act is generally understood as a discipline that fosters humility and detachment in the seeker, while providing the householder with an opportunity to make a meritorious offering. The terms bhikshu (Sanskrit) and bhikkhu (Pali), denoting a mendicant or monk, are derived from the same root.
In Hindu tradition, bhiksha is connected with the brahmacharya and sannyasa stages of life, when students and ascetics are expected to subsist on alms received from householders. In Buddhism, the daily alms round is part of monastic practice, with the food received forming the meal of the bhikkhu or bhikkhuni. In Jainism, the act of accepting alms by ascetics is governed by detailed rules concerning what may be received and how, reflecting the tradition's emphasis on non-violence and non-attachment.
Beyond its strictly religious usage, the word bhiksha has entered everyday Indian languages to refer to the food or items obtained by asking, and to the broader idea of seeking alms.