I had some questions from several people lately about titles and how to address monastics properly. Well, there is no hard and fast rule about this but just to give you an overview:
Ajahn Thai word meaning âteacherâ. In some traditions used for monastics who have at least 10 vassa in seniority.
Amma Meaning âmotherâ and is sometimes used by nuns.
Ayya Genderless term meaning âVenerableâ and can be used for all monastics, including novices.
Bhante Term used for monks and novices, but sometimes also used for nuns.
Brother/Sister Used by monks/nuns in some monasteries.
Tan Thai word for monks who do not have 10 vassa in seniority yet.
Thera/Theri Used for senior monks/nuns who have more than 10 vassa.
Venerable Used for all monastics.
So whatever you call us, itâs really fine. Some monastics have a preference for one title but donât worry if you use another one.
So saying that, I have had some discussion with Ayya @Sujato lately because as some of you know Iâm non-binary and therefore prefer a genderless term. âAyyaâ is a term used for both monks and nuns in the Early Buddhist texts and Ayya Sujato, as a good friend and ally, was happy for me to use the term for him also.
So, I hope I have now adaquately confused you!