Lzh Mg Bi Vb Pc 96Ordaining Married Girls Under Twenty

– MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

– RULES OF DISCIPLINE FOR BHIKKHUNĪS

– EXPOSITION OF THE FIRST SECTION OF THE 141 PĀCITTIYAS

96. RULE: CONFERRING ORDINATION ON ONE WHO IS UNDERAGE.

When the Buddha was residing in the city of Sāvatthī, there were at that time bhikkhunīs who ordained girls of ten years of age and twelve years of age, granting them the full ordination. These persons had weak bodies and were unable to perform strenuous tasks; they did not know how to maintain cleanliness; their deportment was deficient; they did not know how to serve the preceptor-nun or the teacher-nun; they did not know how to enter villages; they did not know how to go to forest retreats; they did not know the proper conduct when entering the assembly; they did not know how to wear the robe or hold the bowl.

The bhikkhunīs then reported this to Mahāpajāpatī. Mahāpajāpatī in turn reported it to the Blessed One. The Buddha immediately instructed that the bhikkhunī in question be summoned.

When she arrived, the Buddha asked:

—Is it true that you did this?

—It is true, Blessed One.

—From this day forward, I do not permit a girl who has not yet completed twenty years of age to receive full ordination.

Thereupon, the Buddha instructed Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī to convey this ruling to all the bhikkhunīs residing in Sāvatthī, requiring them all to assemble, and even those who had already heard it were to hear it again:

—If a bhikkhunī confers full ordination upon a girl who has not yet completed twenty rains retreats, she commits a pācittiya offense.

EXPLANATION:

Not yet completed twenty rains retreats: Not yet completing twenty years is called not yet completing twenty rains retreats. But if a girl has not yet completed twenty rains retreats yet has completed twenty years, she is still said not to have completed twenty rains retreats. If a girl has not yet completed twenty rains retreats but is more than twenty years of age, she is still said not to have completed twenty rains retreats.

If she was born in winter, and the twentieth winter has arrived but the Pavāraṇā ceremony has not yet passed, she is also said not to have completed twenty rains retreats. The same applies to a girl born in spring. If a girl was born during the early rains retreat, and the twentieth early rains retreat has arrived but the Pavāraṇā has not yet passed; or if she was born during the late rains retreat, and the twentieth late rains retreat has arrived but the Pavāraṇā has not yet passed—she is likewise said not to have completed twenty rains retreats.

If a girl has not yet completed twenty rains retreats, and all the preceptors believe she has not yet completed them and yet confer full ordination upon her, then all commit a pācittiya offense. That person is not considered to have received full ordination.

If a girl has not yet completed twenty rains retreats, and half the preceptors believe she has not yet completed them while the other half believe she has, and full ordination is conferred, then those who believed she had not yet completed them commit a pācittiya offense, while those who believed she had completed them are without offense; and that person is considered to have received full ordination.

If a girl has not yet completed twenty rains retreats, and all the preceptors believe she has already completed them and then confer full ordination upon her, then all are without offense, and that person is considered to have received full ordination.

Having completed twenty rains retreats but not yet completed twenty years is also called having completed twenty rains retreats. A girl who has completed twenty rains retreats and twenty years, or who has completed twenty rains retreats and is more than twenty years of age, is likewise said to have completed twenty rains retreats. A girl born in winter, upon reaching the twentieth year, after the rains retreat has concluded and Pavāraṇā has been performed, may be given full ordination.

The case of one born in spring is the same. A girl born during the early rains retreat, after twenty years have passed and she has completed the early rains retreat and performed Pavāraṇā; a girl born during the late rains retreat, after twenty years have passed and she has completed the late rains retreat and performed Pavāraṇā—may be given full ordination.

If a girl has completed twenty rains retreats, and half the preceptors believe she has not yet completed them while the other half believe she has, and full ordination is conferred, then those who believed she had not yet completed them commit a dukkaṭa offense, while those who believed she had completed them are without offense. That person is considered to have received full ordination.

If a girl has completed twenty rains retreats, and all the preceptors believe she has not yet completed them and then confer full ordination upon her, then all commit a dukkaṭa offense. That person is not considered to have received full ordination. If all the preceptors believe she has already completed them, then all are without offense. That person is considered to have properly received full ordination.

Girl: One whose brahmacarya has not been violated. If full ordination is conferred upon a girl who has not yet completed twenty rains retreats, a pācittiya offense is committed.

If a girl wishes to receive full ordination in the teaching of the Tathāgata, the preceptor should ask: "When were you born?" If she does not know, one should consult a wooden tablet recording the year of birth. If there is no such tablet, one must ask her parents and relatives. If they also do not know, one must inquire as to which king's reign she was born in, and whether it was a year of good harvest or poor harvest. If that too is unknown, one should examine her physical appearance and estimate accordingly. If she is the daughter of a musician, even though she may be young in age, her build may be large; one should examine the appearance of her hands, feet, and bones in order to estimate. Therefore the Blessed One has spoken as above.

Translated into Vietnamese by: Thích Phước Sơn. MAHĀSĀṂGHIKA VINAYA

Translated into Chinese by: THE TRIPIṬAKA MASTER BUDDHABHADRA OF INDIA

TOGETHER WITH ŚRAMAṆA FAXIAN, TRANSLATED DURING THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

MEANING VERIFIED BY: THÍCH ĐỖNG MINH