Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Pc 72Ordaining Under Twenty

Ūnavīsativassa Sutta (Samaṇericā Pārājika)

Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka — On Ordination Under Twenty Years of Age

Background

This rule appears in the Pāṭimokkha, the supreme discipline of the Sangha, in the Pārājika section, the offenses that lead to exclusion from the Sangha, in order to regulate the minimum age for ordination. The Buddha set forth this principle during the development of the monastic code, when many converts wished to go forth but were not yet mature psychologically and spiritually.

According to the earliest history of the Sangha, the question of age was urgent because those who were too young might not clearly understand the precepts, might easily run away, or might lack steadiness in practice. Therefore, the Theravāda Buddha-Dharma sets the standard: a person must be at least twenty years old (dvīsativassa) in order to receive full ordination as a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī.

Main Content

Ūnavīsativassa means "under twenty years of age" (ūna = less, vīsati = twenty, vassa = years of age). This rule is found in the Pārājika section, one of the most serious classes of prohibitions for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.

The content is this: if a candidate who is not yet twenty years old is given full ordination, this is an act violating the Pārājika, meaning that both the teacher (upa-jjhāya) and the student (antevāsī) must be excluded from the Sangha. This means that the ordination is regarded as invalid and is not recognized by the monastic community.

The reason for setting the minimum age at twenty years is as follows:

First, at this time physiological development has become stable and the capacity for thought more mature. Second, such a person can take responsibility for his own legal obligations. Third, he has undergone enough life experience to understand the roots of suffering (dukkha) that the Buddha-Dharma seeks to address.

This rule does not distinguish between men and women: both bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe this standard.