Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 116Ordaining Married Girls Under Twenty
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnavīsativassa-kumāribhūta
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Sutta on Ordaining a Married Girl Under Twenty as a Bhikkhunī
Background
This text belongs to the Pātimokkha, the disciplinary code, in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the discipline for bhikkhunīs. It is a collection of rules governing the practice life of female monastics in the Buddhist Sangha.
The arising of this rule is connected with a specific event in the history of the Sangha. When the Buddha allowed women to go forth as bhikkhunīs, questions concerning age and marital status arose in disputes over the validity of recognizing monastic status. This text deals specifically with the case of girls under twenty years old who are married and wish to leave lay life to follow the Buddha’s path.
The historical context shows that, in the Buddha’s time, the disciplinary rules were not issued all at once but developed gradually, usually through specific cases and practical issues arising within the community of monks and nuns.
Main Content
This rule prescribes that a girl under twenty years old (ūnavīsativassa, not yet twenty) who is married is not permitted to go forth to become a bhikkhunī. This is not a punishment but a prerequisite for ordination.
This rule is classified as a Pācittiya, a type of violation requiring confession, which means that if someone violates it, for example if a bhikkhunī ordains such a girl, the offender must perform the prescribed rite of confession.
The reason behind the rule is indicated in related Suttas and Vinaya passages: a young woman, especially one who is married, may not yet have sufficient spiritual maturity, knowledge of the Buddhadharma, or ability to live independently in the monastic way of life. In addition, being married raises issues of legal, family, and emotional relationships that may obstruct the path of practice.
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