Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 168Ordain One With Debt or Illness
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ordain one with debt or illness
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Commentary on the Sutra: Ordaining a Person with Debt or Illness
Background
This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Pāli Canon, specifically within the Pātimokkha, the fundamental code governing the monastic life of bhikkhus. In the early period after the Buddha established the Sangha, the question of suitable conditions for a person to be allowed to go forth and become a bhikkhu became urgent.
This sutra reflects a common situation in ancient Indian society: people with unpaid debts or who were suffering from illness wished to leave home and go forth. This was an issue involving social ethics, family responsibility, and the distinction between spiritual aspiration and worldly obligations. The Vinaya Piṭaka records how the Buddha and the Sangha handled such cases in order to maintain the purity and reasonableness of the institution of going forth.
Main Content
According to the spirit of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, a person wishing to go forth and be admitted into the Sangha must meet certain conditions. This sutra prescribes that an individual with unresolved debts or afflicted by serious illness should not be allowed to go forth immediately.
In the case of debt, the reason is this: if a person still has financial responsibilities toward family or creditors, going forth would be an avoidance of duty. This is not in accord with Buddhist ethics, which emphasize truthfulness (sacca) and responsibility (kamma). A person in debt must settle or repay those debts before requesting ordination, to show that entering the monastery is not a means of escape.
In the case of serious illness, the reason is different. If a seriously ill person enters the monastery, weakened health will become a burden for the Sangha; the monastic community will have to spend time caring for them instead of concentrating on practice. In addition, the sick person will also find it difficult to fulfill the basic duties of monastic training. Therefore, one wishing to go forth should wait until health has recovered.
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