Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Dh Pc 112Ordaining Untrained Unmarried Girls

Ordaining Untrained Unmarried Girls

Source Status

This scripture entry belongs to the system of Comparative Vinaya — Chinese in the tradition of the sectarian Buddhist canons, bearing the identifier Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Dh Pc 112. It is a provision in the Pācittiya section of the Bhikkhunī code of the Sarvāstivāda school, recorded in Chinese. The full original source has not yet been directly collated in the present database; therefore, this presentation is an AI explanation based purely on the supplied descriptive information, not a canonical translation vetted by scholarship. Readers should note this when using it for research or intensive practice.

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Background

In the Vinaya collections of many Buddhist schools, the rule codes for bhikkhunīs often contain more provisions than those for bhikkhus, reflecting special concern for protecting the community of nuns and maintaining the quality of the ordination process. One issue given particular attention is the prerequisites of the candidate for ordination: one who wishes to receive full ordination (upasampadā) must fully meet standards concerning age, conduct, health, personal status, and the preparatory training in the precepts.

In the context of Buddhist legal studies, an unmarried girl (kumārībhūtā, a maiden or girl not yet married) is regarded as a category of person with a social status and life experience different from someone who has had a husband or has been widowed. This is directly related to the rule concerning the śikṣamāṇā, the two-year probationary stage that a woman must undergo before receiving full ordination, during which the trainee must train and demonstrate the capacity to keep the basic precepts. The absence of this stage of training makes the ordination invalid or creates an offense for the officiating bhikkhunī.

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Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

From the Vietnamese title “Ordaining Untrained Unmarried Girls,” the English title “Ordaining Untrained Unmarried Girls,” and the Sanskrit title Paripuṇṇavīsativassa-asikkhita-kumāribhūta, several core elements can be identified:

– Paripuṇṇavīsativassa: This term means “having completed twenty years,” suggesting that the provision refers to the case of a girl who, though already twenty years old according to the rule, has still not undergone the mandatory training period.

– Asikkhita: This means “untrained / not trained in the precepts,” referring to someone who has not completed the śikṣamāṇā training program.

– Kumārībhūta: This means “one in the state of a maiden / unmarried,” distinguishing her from women who have been married, for whom the rules concerning training may differ, often being shortened because of certain life experience.

Provision number 112 in the Pācittiya section of the Sarvāstivāda Bhikkhunī code likely states that a bhikkhunī commits a Pācittiya offense if she presides over or participates in giving full ordination to an unmarried girl who has not completed the prescribed training period, even if that person is of age. This provision is intended to ensure the integrity of the ordination process, not allowing the probationary stage of training to be bypassed merely because the candidate is old enough.

In the system of comparative sectarian Vinaya, equivalent provisions may be found in the Bhikkhunī codes of other schools, such as the Dharmaguptaka, Mahāsāṃghika, or Mūlasarvāstivāda, but detailed comparison must be based on critically verified source texts.

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Meaning for Practice and Study

This provision carries a profound lesson about the importance of inner preparation before entering the full monastic life. The Buddha established the system of training in the precepts (śikṣamāṇā) not to create a formal obstacle, but to ensure that the one going forth can truly bear the responsibility of the life of liberation.

An unmarried girl who has not undergone training, even if she is of age, has not had the opportunity to practice and test herself in the basic precepts. If the community of nuns skips this step out of deference, convenience, or any other reason, then not only the ordinand but also the presiding bhikkhunī has violated the trust placed in the Vinaya.

More broadly, this provision reminds practitioners of the principle of not shortening the path of practice. Age and personal circumstances, whether unmarried or married, are only among many criteria; learning, training, and demonstration through practice are the enduring foundation of the holy life. This is also the general spirit of the whole Vinaya Piṭaka: outward form must be accompanied by genuine inner quality.

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Comparative Note

Because the full Chinese source text of this provision has not yet been directly collated, all details concerning the conditions of offense, exceptions, degree of fault, and confession procedure need to be checked against the original Chinese Sarvāstivāda Vinaya text. Researchers should place this provision in relation to the entire chapter on conditions for ordination in the Bhikkhunī code in order to gain a systematic and accurate understanding.