Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 116Ordaining a Pregnant Woman

Scripture on the Ordination of a Pregnant Woman (Gabbhinī)

Background

This scripture belongs to the Pācittiya section of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition, recording an important disciplinary rule concerning ordination in the Buddhist Sangha. In the early period of the teaching, as the Buddha and his disciples were actively building the community of practice, many practical situations arose that required specific regulations.

This scripture reflects the situation of a pregnant woman wishing to seek the opportunity for liberation by entering a monastery and studying the Buddha-Dharma. The question arises whether a woman in pregnancy should be accepted into the Bhikkhunī Sangha, the community of female renunciants. This is not a trivial matter, because it concerns the health of the mother, the life of the unborn child, and the conditions for the woman’s practice.

Main Content

The scripture stipulates that a pregnant woman should not be accepted into ordination according to the Vinaya rule. The main reason arises from the practical difficulties that a pregnant woman will encounter in the monastic community. During pregnancy, the body undergoes significant physiological changes, affecting the ability to observe disciplinary provisions such as eating, sleeping, and participating in communal activities in the Sangha.

Furthermore, pregnancy under austere conditions of practice may place both the mother and fetus in danger. Pregnancy and the period after birth require special care, which a simple monastic environment may not be able to ensure. From the Buddhist perspective, practice requires concentration and a purified mind, things difficult to attain when the body is bearing a biological burden.

This rule is regarded as a Pācittiya, in Pāli, one of the violations requiring confession and limitation. It is not an absolute prohibition, but a structured guideline to protect both the individual and the community.