Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Dh Pc 122Ordaining Untrained Candidate

Explanation of the Discourse: Asikkhita-sikkhamānā (An Untrained Female Candidate)

Background

This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the discipline for female monastics. It is a rule in the category of Pācittiya, violations requiring confession before a witness. This injunction arose from a specific event when the Buddha observed a problem in the community of nuns concerning ordination for candidates who were not adequately prepared.

In the Buddha’s time, when a woman wished to go forth, she passed through two stages. The first was becoming a sikkhamānā, a female trainee in the precepts, a probationary period of two years intended for practicing the basic rules and testing her orientation toward practice. Only after completing this stage could she request full ordination, that is, receive the complete bhikkhunī precepts. However, some bhikkhunīs decided to bypass this stage of training and proceed directly to ordain candidates who had not been properly trained.

Main Content

The Asikkhita-sikkhamānā discourse states that if a bhikkhunī allows a woman who has not been sufficiently trained (asikkhita) to receive full ordination as a bhikkhunī while bypassing or excessively shortening the sikkhamānā stage, that bhikkhunī has committed a Pācittiya offense.

This discourse is not merely an administrative rule, but a profound educational principle. The sikkhamānā stage is not a formality, but a necessary time for the trainee to:

• Cultivate basic ethical practices (sīla)
• Train mindfulness and concentration (samādhi)
• Test long-term commitment to the Buddha’s path

By bypassing this stage, not only is the candidate harmed, because she lacks a firm foundation, but the community of practice is also weakened. For this reason the Buddha established this rule with subtlety yet clarity, in order to protect the integrity of the community of nuns.