Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Pc 72Ordaining Under Twenty
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ūnavīsativassa
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The Ūnavīsativassa Sutta: Not Granting Full Ordination Under Twenty Years of Age
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, which records the rules of cultivation for the Buddhist community of monks and nuns. Ūnavīsativassa in Pāli means “under twenty years of age,” and this legal instruction establishes a basic age standard for going forth into full ordination (upasampadā, formal full acceptance).
This is one of the training rules the Buddha especially affirmed in building the Sangha, the monastic community, in order to protect both the system of cultivation and the honor of the Dharma. The age requirement is not an unjust rule, but an important factor ensuring that one who goes forth has sufficient psychological, physical, and moral maturity to commit to a celibate and disciplined life of practice.
Main Content
According to the Early Buddhist Vinaya, a person cannot enter as a novice (sāmaṇera/sāmaṇī) and then proceed to full ordination as a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī if they have not yet reached twenty years of age. This requirement is absolute: however influential the person may be, however much their parents agree, or however strong their aspiration for practice may be, age remains a legal standard that cannot be bypassed.
The specific content of this legal instruction records that if someone under twenty is permitted to receive full ordination, this is regarded as a violation of the basic law of the Sangha. It is not the fault of the ordinand alone; the Sangha that certifies the ordination also bears responsibility. The Buddha taught that full ordination must include careful verification of age, mental health, and other sufficient conditions.
The reason behind this rule is the understanding that twenty years of age is an important threshold in human development: one is physically mature enough and capable of making long-term decisions with consequences. Before that, self-mastery, emotional stability, and endurance under the challenges of monastic life have not been proven reliable enough.
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