Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 108Not Ordaining Trainees After Promising
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaradāna-sikkhamānana-vuṭṭhāpana
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The Sutta on Not Shaving the Heads of Female Trainees After Promising
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka consists of the teachings of Buddha Sakyamuni on training discipline, recorded to maintain the purity of the Sangha. The content of this sutta concerns rules on shaving the head, that is, allowing a woman to go forth, in the process of training female probationers (sikkhamānā).
During the Buddha’s lifetime, when the Buddha permitted women to form the Bhikkhunī Sangha, receiving and managing female trainees preparing for formal going forth was a task requiring care. Female trainees were women who had resolved to follow the path but had not yet received the final bhikkhunī precepts, and were still studying ethics and discipline. This sutta reflects complex situations concerning commitment to practice and the conditions under which female trainees should not have their heads shaved.
Main Content
According to the Pāli tradition, shaving the head, or cutting off the hair in the going-forth ceremony, is an important symbol of commitment to the austere life of practice. The sutta “Not Shaving the Heads of Female Trainees After Promising” concerns the rules on refusing or postponing shaving the head when female trainees do not meet certain conditions.
Specifically, if a female trainee has promised to train in the Five Training Precepts (pañca-sikkhantas) or the Eight Training Precepts (aṭṭha-sikkhantas), but later violates these commitments, or if she is not yet psychologically and spiritually ready, the elder bhikkhunīs should not shave her head. This protects the integrity of the Sangha body and ensures that only those who are truly intent are received into the formal life of practice.
This rule also reflects the principle of “not acting unmindfully” (avihitatā) in the Vinaya Piṭaka: every action, especially actions related to changing someone’s status in the life of practice, must be carried out consciously, with careful consideration, and in accordance with proper conditions.
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