The term “Anagarika” comes from Pali and Sanskrit and literally means “homeless one” or “one who has no home.” It points not merely to the absence of a physical dwelling, but to a deliberate renunciation of the conventional household life. In this sense, “homelessness” signifies a conscious turning away from worldly entanglements in order to orient one’s whole being toward the path of Dharma. The word thus carries both a literal and a symbolic resonance, evoking the image of one who has stepped beyond the familiar boundaries of social and domestic identity.

Within Buddhist practice, an Anagarika is a lay renunciant who has left behind ordinary worldly pursuits to dedicate life to spiritual development, yet without taking full monastic ordination as a monk or nun. Such a person typically lives more strictly than an ordinary lay follower, often embracing celibacy and a simplified way of life, and may observe a set of precepts that go beyond the basic lay commitments. The Anagarika stands in an intermediate space between layperson and fully ordained monastic, embodying a serious, disciplined commitment to the path while retaining a degree of flexibility in external circumstances. In the case of Anagarika Govinda, this title expressed a renunciant vocation devoted to Buddhist study, meditation, and teaching, while remaining outside the formal structure of full monastic ordination.