Disrobing

Living the bhikkhu life properly, following the Buddhas Teaching, requires full commitment and sustained effort. If this is lost and his Dhamma friends cannot rekindle his interest, the bhikkhu is always at liberty to return to lay life. There are no lifetime vows, so perhaps living a good lay life is better than being lax in keeping the bhikkhus rules. Nevertheless, in some countries there is a cultural expectation of ordaining for life and a corresponding stigma attached to disrobing.

"A bhikkhu who is tired of the practice of the Brahma cariya [Holy Life] and wishes to return to the state of being a lay man may do this by taking leave of the training..."

(EV,IIIp237)

Disrobing is finalized by the monk clearly proclaiming his change of status before another bhikkhu or lay person. Once the other person understands his statement, he is no longer a bhikkhu. In Thailand there is often a formal ceremony for this that ends with the former monk undertaking the Five Precepts to replace the 227 Paa.timokkha Rule. (This is also considered a step downwards, for the ideal way is certainly to continue with the Holy Life for as long as life lasts.)

In those countries where temporary ordinations are rites of passage, some men may ordain and disrobe several times in their life — before marriage and after retirement, for example. However, there seems to be a tradition that bhikkhus do not disrobe and go forth again more than seven times, but this rarely occurs.

If a bhikkhu commits a Defeater Offence there is no need for him formally to disrobe because he is automatically expelled by his wrongful action and is no longer a bhikkhu from that moment.^[1] He can never reordain during that lifetime.