Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pc 108Ordaining Married Girls Under Twelve
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnadvādasavassa-gihigata
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Sutta on Ordaining Married Girls Under Twelve Years Old
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the legal accomplishment of Theravāda Buddhism, especially in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the regulations concerning the ordination and discipline of nuns. The sutta is presented in the form of a historical narrative, in which the Buddha discovers a specific situation that has arisen in the community of monks and nuns and then lays down a rule to regulate it.
According to the Theravāda tradition of the Pāli Canon, the Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a set of prohibitions, but also an expression of the Buddha’s wisdom in protecting the Sangha, the monastic community. Each rule has a deeper reason, helping to maintain discipline, the honor of the order, and especially the protection of vulnerable members, such as young girls.
Main Content
The rule regarding the ordination of married girls under twelve years old arose from a specific incident. In the past, some families with very young daughters who were already married or had a marital status asked that their children be ordained into the Sangha, the community of nuns. The reason was often to protect them from social risks or to obtain a higher social position.
However, the Buddha and the senior disciples recognized that ordination too early, when a girl was still too young and did not yet have the capacity to understand clearly the nature of monastic life, would bring many disadvantages. Such girls might not be physically or psychologically ready to observe the strict rules of the Vinaya Piṭaka. Moreover, if a girl was still in a married condition, that is, still had a husband or marital obligations, ordination would create conflicts between duties toward the family and duties toward the Sangha.
Therefore, the Buddha laid down a clear rule: married girls, those who have a husband or marital ties, are not to be ordained if they have not yet reached twelve years of age.
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