San Lo Bi Vb Pc 96Ordaining Married Girls Under Twenty

Explanation of the Ūnavīsativassa-kumāribhūta Scripture

On Giving Ordination to Married Women Under Twenty Years of Age

Context

This scripture belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma, recorded in the Bhikkhunī section, the Vinaya for nuns. In the early days of the Dharma, the Buddha permitted women to go forth in the bhikkhunī saṅgha. However, the Buddha also set forth certain conditions to protect the purity of the monastery and ensure that those going forth had a genuine wish to train.

One of the issues that arose was whether women who were married but not yet of sufficient age could be permitted to go forth. The Ūnavīsativassa-kumāribhūta scripture directly addresses this situation, establishing a rule concerning the minimum age for married women who wish to go forth as bhikkhunīs.

Main Content

According to the Vinaya, the Buddha stipulated that married women (sāmaññattā) are not permitted to go forth if they have not yet reached twenty years of age (ūnavīsativassa). The term "ūnavīsativassa" means "not yet twenty years old," while "kumāribhūta" indicates the state of a young girl.

This regulation reflects a profound practical principle in the Vinaya Piṭaka: a woman who wishes to go forth needs to have sufficient physical, psychological, and intellectual maturity to commit to a long-term life of practice. The age of twenty was regarded by the Buddha as a reasonable boundary, sufficient for a woman to decide her own destiny and sufficient for responsibility toward a prior marriage.

Furthermore, this rule also reflects the Buddha's respect for the marriage relationship. If a woman has married, she has obligations toward her family. Permitting young and immature women to leave this responsibility could create social tension and cast doubt on the genuineness of her resolve.