Why do Buddhist monks and nuns shave their heads?
Shaving the head is one of the rules the Buddha laid down for his monks and nuns. It is one of the key indicators of renunciation showing that a person has given up ordinary life and will live outside of social conventions. Fortunately we can read about the exact situation where the Buddha made this rule. We find it in the section of the monks rules called the Culla Vagga: Now at that time the group of six monks wore their hair long. People looked down upon, criticised, spread it about, saying: “Like householders who enjoy pleasures of the senses.” Monks [...]