Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 98Ordaining Untrained Candidate
Pāli / Sanskrit:Asikkhita-sikkhamānā
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The Discourse on the Untrained Sikkhamānā (Asikkhita-sikkhamānā)
Background
This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Pāli Canon, specifically to the Pātimokkha (the foundational rules of discipline) for bhikkhunīs. In Theravāda Buddhism, the Vinaya Piṭaka is regarded as an indispensable foundation for communal practice and training. These rules were taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni to protect the monastic community (Saṅgha), to preserve purity of conduct, and to create conditions conducive to the realization of liberation.
The Asikkhita-sikkhamānā addresses a specific circumstance within the process of ordaining female monastics. "Asikkhita" means "untrained" or "not yet instructed," while "sikkhamānā" refers to female novice monastics who have not yet reached twenty years of age and have not yet been formally received as fully ordained bhikkhunīs. The context of this text concerns legal questions within the Saṅgha when ordination has not been carried out in accordance with proper procedure.
Principal Content
This text treats the case of a female monastic who has been ordained as a bhikkhunī without having previously completed the requisite period of training as prescribed by the Vinaya. According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, a female monastic must undergo two years of training in the role of sikkhamānā, during which she is instructed in seven important rules before being received into the position of bhikkhunī. These rules are: refraining from sexual intercourse, refraining from theft, refraining from taking life, refraining from false claims regarding spiritual attainments, refraining from consuming intoxicants, refraining from eating at improper times, and refraining from attending unsuitable performances of dance or music.
If a woman is ordained without having fulfilled these conditions — that is, without having completed the training period or without having been properly examined — such an ordination is regarded as invalid under the Vinaya. The text makes clear the requisite conditions: the Saṅgha must give its explicit confirmation, a sufficient number of bhikkhunīs must be present (a minimum of five or ten bhikkhunīs, depending on the canonical source), and the process of examination must be conducted publicly and in accordance with proper procedure.
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