Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 108Ordaining Married Girls Under Twelve
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnadvādasavassa-gihigata
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Exposition of the Rule Concerning the Ordination of a Married Woman Under the Age of Twelve
Background
This rule is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (the analysis of the Vinaya for bhikkhunīs), under the Pācittiya section—those rules whose transgression requires confession and expiation. In the early historical period of the Buddhist monastic community of monks and nuns, the question of the age of women seeking ordination became an important matter of Vinaya law.
According to the Theravāda tradition, the Buddha established specific conditions in order to protect the physical and psychological maturity of female practitioners. The age requirement was not a punitive measure, but rather a means of safeguarding the wholeness of those who wished to enter upon the path of pure practice.
This rule concerns a particular case: women who have not yet reached the age of twelve but who are already married (gihigata—those who have entered a husband's household). This was a practical situation in ancient Indian society, where early marriages occurred; nevertheless, the Buddha's Vinaya still applied strict standards regarding the required age.
Principal Content
This rule clearly stipulates that a woman who is married but has not yet reached the age of twelve is not permitted to receive full ordination as a bhikkhunī. Should any bhikkhunī or bhikkhu permit or facilitate such an ordination, they would be in transgression of a Pācittiya rule.
Notably, the status of "having been married" (gihigata) does not serve as evidence of sufficient maturity. Even if a marital relationship has taken place, the body and mind of a girl under twelve years of age have not yet attained the level of development necessary to undertake commitment to the strict, disciplined life of the monastic community.
This rule reflects the understanding present in Theravāda Buddhism regarding the need to protect physical and mental well-being.
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