Monastic Fraternity

The nikayas, the ordination fraternities that structure Theravada Buddhist monasticism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia: Siam Nikaya (Siyam Nikaya) and its reform offshoots Amarapura Nikaya and Ramanna Nikaya in Sri Lanka, and the royally sponsored Dhammayuttika Nikaya (Thammayut Order) in Thailand. Belongs here: a fraternity defined by a shared ordination lineage that monks join and are ranked within. Does not belong here: a Christian religious order such as the Benedictines or Jesuits, organized by rule and vow rather than ordination lineage, grouped under religious order instead.