Buddhism has always made a sharp distinction between lay society and the sangha.
Monks and nuns may own only the barest minimum of possessions, may not work but must obtain their food and other necessities by begging, and must strictly adhere to an elaborate code of conduct. Monks and nuns keep their heads shaven and wear toga-like robes, the color of which varies slightly from community to community (orange is characteristic of southeast Asian Theravada groups, maroon of Tibet, gray of Korea, etc.
Although always maintaining that women were fully as capable of attaining Enlightenment as men, Buddha originally neither permitted women to join the sangha of monks nor to form an independent sangha of nuns. After considerable from his cousin and aide Ananada and his aunt , who wished to ordain, the Buddha relented and permitted the formation of a female sangha.
(Some have speculated that Buddha's reluctance to permit was due to fears that a community of women might not be safe the Buddha's society. Indeed, Buddhist (male) monasteries have often been troubled by robbers, leading to some training in the martial arts. (The classic example is the Shaolin monastery said to have been founded by Bodhidharma, though the historicity of these accounts is quite suspect.)
The social function of monks and nuns
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