Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pc 71Ordaining Under Twenty
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnavīsativassa
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Ordaining Under Twenty (Ūnavīsativassa)
Background
The Ūnavīsativassa belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, and is one of the important regulations concerning the qualifications for novices and monks. It forms part of the Pāṭimokkha — the fundamental code of discipline that all monastics must observe.
The content of this regulation arose from historical events within the early Saṅgha, during the lifetime of the Blessed One. Young monastics sometimes lacked the psychological and intellectual maturity necessary to uphold the precepts with proper rigor. For this reason, the Blessed One established the principle of a minimum age, so as to prevent harmful consequences for the individual and for the Saṅgha.
This regulation reflects the wisdom of the Buddha-Dharma in balancing compassion (karuṇā) toward those who wish to enter the monastic life at an early age with the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the Saṅgha.
Main Content
The Ūnavīsativassa stipulates that a person who has not yet reached the age of twenty is not permitted to receive full monastic ordination (upasampadā) — that is, to formally enter the Saṅgha as a fully ordained monk. Such a person may only enter the monastic life as a novice (sāmaṇera), a preliminary stage with lighter regulations, comprising either the five basic precepts or the ten novice precepts.
The regulation concerning the minimum age of twenty (ūnavīsativassa, meaning "not yet twenty") is not arbitrary. It was established on the understanding that the age of twenty marks a sufficient maturity to commit to the rigorous life of monastic practice. In the time of the Blessed One, this was the period at which wisdom and the mind had developed to the point where one could comprehend more deeply the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
This rule also protects young novices from irreversible mistakes. If a young person were to have regrets after receiving full ordination and were to abandon the monastic life, this would cause harm to the reputation of the Saṅgha.
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