Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 132Twelve Years of Seniority Without Approval
Pāli / Sanskrit:Paripuṇṇadvādasavassa-asammata
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SUTTA ON TWELVE YEARS OF SENIORITY NOT YET RECOGNIZED
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically the Pātimokkha Saṃvara, the basic code. The text concerns the determination and recognition of a bhikkhu's status within the Sangha community.
In early Buddhist history, one important issue was how to determine the rank of practice and the rights of speech and voting of bhikkhus. Recognition as an elder (mahallaka) or by years of seniority (vassa) formed the basis of legal and spiritual status in the Sangha. The Paripuṇṇadvādasavassa-asammata Sutta treats an exceptional case: a monastic who has lived in the right status for at least twelve years but for some reason has not been officially recognized by the community in that rank.
This legal background reflects ancient disputes over the scope and standards of recognition in the Sangha. They are profound questions: Who has the authority to determine rank? Is rank based on time or on recognition? If a person truly practices sincerely but is not recognized, is he excluded from the community's decisions?
Main Content
The sutta treats the legal situation of a bhikkhu who has lived in the proper status (vassa) for twelve years or more, but for some reasons, perhaps dispute, discipline, or administrative error, has not been officially recognized (asammata) by the Sangha. That is, the person's capacity in training is recognized in fact, but the legal status remains unclear.
The Pātimokkha rule raises the question: in such cases, does that person have the right to participate in important assemblies and vote in Sangha decisions? This sutta clearly regulates that formal recognition (sammata) is necessary, not merely time in practice. A person with five years of practice who is recognized may have higher status than a person of twelve years who has not been recognized.
This emphasizes an important principle in Theravāda Buddhism: the decision of the community (Saṅgha-sammata) is very important.
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