Lzh Sarv Ba 1Ordination

Commentary on the Scripture of Going Forth (Upasampadā)

Background

Upasampadā, or "Full Ordination" (具足戒), is one of the most significant rites of the Theravāda tradition. The term derives from Pāli, translated as "fully accepted" or "completely received." This is not merely a formal ceremony, but a profound transition from the lay life to the renunciant life within the Sangha.

From the very earliest days of Buddhism, when the Blessed Tathāgata was still present in the world, the conferral of ordination followed a definite order. Monks and nuns were required to pass through the stage of Sāmaṇera (novice) before being fully received into the Sangha. The Vinaya Piṭaka records in detail the conditions, procedures, and responsibilities that accompany this Full Ordination.

Principal Content

According to the Pāli Canon, Upasampadā is the process of receiving a monastic into the Sangha as a full member, with the obligation to uphold the Eighty-Four Precepts (Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha) or the Two Hundred and Forty-Eight Precepts (Bhikkhu Pātimokkha). One who seeks ordination must first seek out an Upajjhāya — the principal preceptor — and the Ācāryas — the instructing teachers.

The candidate for ordination must fulfill certain prerequisites: being of minimum age (forty-five years of age according to the reckoning of the five faculties), being free from foreign debts or debts to a spouse, having the consent of one's parents (if a minor), and not being a person in exile or a fugitive from the law.

The rite of Upasampadā is conducted before a Sangha of at minimum ten bhikkhus. The candidate must fully disclose their state of health, formally request admission, and answer the assembly's questions concerning any impediments that might prevent ordination.