woman of pure faith ［清信女］ (, Pali upāsikā;  shōshin-nyo): A Buddhist laywoman who reveres the three treasures of Buddhism—the Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist Order—and has received the five precepts. “Woman of pure faith” is a Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word upāsikā, meaning a Buddhist laywoman. Her male counterpart is a “man of pure faith” (upāsaka).