Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 194Giving Precepts to Sikkhamānā Alone
Pāli / Sanskrit:Giving precepts to sikkhamānā alone
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Explanation of the Discourse: Giving Precepts to a Sikkhamānā Alone
Background
This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the sacred collection prescribing rules of practice and the governance of the Sangha. Specifically, it belongs to the Pātimokkha, the condensed rules, and to the regulations concerning the giving of precepts to female trainees.
In the early Buddhist tradition, a sikkhamānā, or female trainee, occupies a special position between an upāsikā, a female lay devotee, and a bhikkhunī, a fully ordained nun. A female trainee observes eighteen trainings, the ten principal rules plus eight additional rules, in order to prepare for full ordination or to maintain a pure holy life.
This discourse addresses a special case: when only one woman seeks to receive the sikkhamānā precepts, without another community of bhikkhunīs present. This is a practical situation that arose in regions where there were not yet large monastic institutions for monks and nuns, or in the early periods of the dispensation.
Main Content
The specific content of this discourse has not yet been fully translated, but according to the context of the early Vinaya Piṭaka, the procedure for giving precepts to a single female trainee follows these basic principles:
First, the woman must satisfy the essential conditions and be free from disqualifying factors, such as improper practices or serious illnesses that would obstruct practice. She must have the witness of bhikkhunīs, or at least qualified bhikkhus if there is no community of nuns.
The procedure for giving the precepts includes the woman’s declaration of resolve (adhiṭṭhāna) and her vow to observe the eighteen trainings with clear understanding. These trainings include the five precepts shared with laypeople, refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants, together with additional rules concerning food, times for eating, clothing, ornaments, and conduct suitable for a female renunciant.
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