Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 106Under Twelve Years of Seniority
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnadvādasavassa
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Explanation of the Ūnadvādasavassa Sutta (Under Twelve Years of Seniority)
Background
The Ūnadvādasavassa Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, the body of disciplinary law for the Theravāda Buddhist Sangha. This sutta is found in the Pātimokkha, the collection of prohibitions that male bhikkhus and female bhikkhunīs must observe.
Specifically, this sutta deals with regulations concerning bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs who are still in the initial stage of training, especially those with fewer than twelve years of seniority (vassa, the years counted within Sangha training). This is an important period, when newly ordained monastics still have limited knowledge of the discipline and limited experience in practice. Therefore, the regulations in Ūnadvādasavassa are intended to protect them from dangerous mistakes and to ensure that they are properly guided on the path of practice.
Main Content
This sutta establishes that monastics with fewer than twelve years of seniority must observe stricter prohibitions than senior monastics. In particular, they are not permitted to decide on their own matters related to Sangha discipline, such as certifying assemblies or taking part in important decisions of the monastic community.
These prohibitions include: not being permitted to stay alone in a place where there are bhikkhunīs; not being permitted to instruct bhikkhunīs without the supervision of senior monastics; and not being permitted to attend closed Sangha meetings without authorization. All of these restrictions are meant to protect the purity of the Sangha and to ensure that young monastics train according to the proper tradition.
The rule concerning twelve years of seniority is an important milestone. After passing twelve years of practice, a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī is regarded as having sufficient experience and knowledge to hold authority in certain communal matters. This is not discrimination, but recognition of spiritual maturity and understanding of the discipline.
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