Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 176Ordain Hermaphrodite
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ordain hermaphrodite
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Explanation of the Vinaya Rule: Ordaining an Intersex Person
Background
This rule is found in the Pātimokkha, in the Pācittiya section, of the Vinaya Pitaka in the Theravada tradition. These are detailed rules of life for the community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, intended to protect the spirit of practice, maintain respect from the wider community, and prevent conflicts within the Sangha.
The background for the arising of this rule concerns differences of sex and the capacity of a person wishing to go forth to practice the Dharma. In the Buddha's time, exceptional cases concerning human physiology were examined fairly by the Buddha, always with the spirit of teaching and the protection of the Sangha at the center. The rules related to this matter reflect the aim of the Buddha Dharma: not allowing physiological conflicts to affect the pure environment of practice and learning.
Main Content
This rule states that a person with a sexual abnormality, specifically an intersex person or one considered unclear in sex (ubhato bhāvanīya), cannot be ordained as an official member of the Sangha. In a case where such a person has been ordained without careful examination, the rule states that the act of granting ordination is a Pācittiya violation, a violation lighter than Pārājika but still requiring confession (pabbājiyati) before the Sangha.
The purpose of this regulation is not discrimination, but practical reasons: to ensure stability in communal life, where rules concerning residence, service, and daily interactions of monks with bhikkhunīs need to be clear. This rule also reflects the process of careful examination before allowing a person to go forth, an important process that protects both the individual and the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
Rules related to this issue teach us the necessity of clarity, transparency, and carefulness in governing a religious community.
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