San Lo Bi Vb Pc 99Ordaining Trained Candidate Without Approval
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sikkhita-sikkhamānā-asammata
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sicca Sutta (A Trained Candidate Without Approval)
Background
In the Vinaya of the Theravāda tradition, this rule belongs to the Bhikkhunīkavibhaṅga, the discipline for bhikkhunīs, reflecting issues arising in the process of receiving women into the Sangha. In the Buddha’s time, allowing women to go forth and receive ordination was a great step forward, but it also required strict regulations to protect the purity of the Sangha community.
This rule was established to prevent the situation in which a female candidate who had been trained according to the Vinaya, that is, one who had mastered the basic training, would nevertheless be formally ordained without consent or certification from the Sangha. This is an important issue because it concerns the legality and orthodoxy of ordination.
Main Content
The Sicca rule (Sikkhita-sikkhamānā-asammata) provides that when a female trainee (sikkhamānā) has been properly trained and is ready to receive full bhikkhunī ordination, her ordination must be acknowledged and certified by the community of bhikkhunīs. If a woman is raised to ordination without the consent or approval of the Sangha (asammata), that is, without undergoing an official motion or formal act of acknowledgment, then that ordination is invalid.
The deeper reason for this rule is to ensure that only those who are truly qualified, psychologically prepared, and trained are received into the highest path of the bhikkhunī. This also protects the integrity of the Sangha from negative situations, such as receiving those who do not truly have the aspiration to practice, or those forced into ordination without acknowledgment by the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
In the context of modern practice, this rule teaches a profound lesson about the importance of transparency and communal consent in a spiritual community. Ordination is not merely an individual rite, but a decision of the entire Sangha.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.