San Sarv Bi Vb Pc 116Ordaining Married Girls Under Twenty

Explanation of the Discourse on Ordaining Married Girls Under Twenty Years of Age

Background

This discourse belongs to the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the explanation of the rules for bhikkhunīs, in the Vinaya of the Theravāda tradition. Its content addresses a complex practical issue in the early religious community: young girls, already married, wishing to go forth and become bhikkhunīs. This is a borderline case involving age, marital status, and the legality of ordination in the Theravāda tradition.

The historical context shows that, in the Buddha's lifetime, the acceptance of women into the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha was carried out according to certain standards. One important standard was minimum age and the social status of the person requesting ordination. This discourse specifies those regulations in the case of young women, under twenty years of age according to ancient Indian standards.

Main Content

According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, this rule stipulates that girls who are already married but not yet twenty years old may not be ordained directly into full bhikkhunī status (bhikkhunī upasampanna). Instead, they must pass through a longer period of training as a sikkhamānā, a female trainee observing five or six rules.

The reasons for this regulation are many: first, an age under twenty is considered not mature enough to commit to the strict discipline of bhikkhunī practice. Second, women who already have husbands are often influenced by the husband's family, and Buddhist law wants to ensure that their resolve to go forth is voluntary and firm, not due to a temporary marital problem. Third, the sikkhamānā stage allows these women time to demonstrate maturity and determination in practice.

Those ordained in this situation must observe special rules and stricter supervision than other nuns.