Buddhist monk + nun

sôryo 僧侶 + nisô 尼僧

Buddhist monasticism is one of the earliest surviving forms of organized monasticism and one of the fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns are responsible for the preservation and dissemination of the Buddha’s teaching and the guidance of Buddhist lay people. In Japanology, the rule is beginning to prevail to speak of “monks” and “nuns” in the case of Buddhist religious, while “priest/priestess” is reserved for Shintō clerics.