Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 167Ordain One With Rectovaginal Fistula
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ordain one with rectovaginal fistula
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sutra on Ordaining a Person with an Intestinal Fistula
Background
This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, one of the three principal baskets of the traditional Pāli Canon of Theravāda Buddhism. The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of rules of practice and precedents for the management of the communities of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
This sutra raises an unusual issue in the history of practice: whether a woman afflicted with a rectovaginal fistula may be allowed to go forth. This is a specific medical situation that the Buddha needed to define clearly in order to protect both the Sangha, the community, and the female lay devotee herself. The historical background shows that the Buddha was very careful in assessing those who entered the monastic life, not in order to discriminate, but to ensure that they were able to practice the path fully.
This regulation is part of the spirit of Vinaya: balancing compassion toward one who wishes to go forth with maintaining the foundation of collective health in the monastic community.
Main Content
In the spirit of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, this sutra records a clear regulation of the Buddha: a woman suffering from an intestinal fistula is not to be ordained or admitted as a bhikkhunī.
The basic reason does not arise from discrimination, but from practical conditions. An intestinal fistula causes continual symptoms that profoundly affect daily life, making it impossible for the patient to concentrate on meditation (bhāvanā) and Pāli study like other bhikkhunīs. In addition, this illness also creates challenges of common hygiene in a communal living environment.
This regulation is not stated in order to cause shame or discrimination, but is a judgment based on practical capacity. The Buddha, with immeasurable wisdom, understood that certain medical conditions would obstruct full practice. This reflects the realism of the Buddhadharma: the teaching is not separate from the reality of life.
Practical Meaning
This sutra teaches us a profound lesson about discernment and compassion held in balance.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.