Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 103Ordaining Trained Unmarried Girls Without Approval

Commentary on the Scripture Ordaining Trained Unmarried Girls Without Approval

Background

This regulation belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the explanation of the Vinaya for bhikkhunīs, one of the monastic legal texts of the Theravāda tradition. It is recorded in the context in which the Buddha and the Sangha had to establish clear standards to govern the ordination of women.

The phrase “Paripuṇṇavīsativassa-sikkhita-kumāribhūta-asammata” means “a girl who has completed twenty years of age, trained in the Vinaya, but not approved by her husband or parents.” This regulation arose from specific situations in the history of the early Sangha, when some young women wanted to go forth without consent from their family, especially from a husband if they were already married.

The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a dry set of rules, but a mirror of ethical wisdom, reflecting the Buddha’s commitment to protecting both those who go forth and the secular world.

Main Content

The regulation states that giving ordination to a woman around twenty years of age, trained in the bhikkhunī rules (sikkhā), but without the approval of relatives, especially parents or husband, is a Pācittiya offense, a kind of fault requiring confession. The bhikkhunī or presiding person must take responsibility for this act.

This is one of the important regulations because it balances two values: respecting the individual’s resolve to go forth and respecting the family foundation of secular society. Although Buddhism honors the step of going forth, it also recognizes that family relationships carry certain legal and ethical responsibilities. When a woman is not legally independent or has not been permitted to leave her family, assisting her to go forth unlawfully creates unnecessary legal conflicts and harms the reputation of the Sangha.