Xct Mu Bi Pc 82Not Ordaining Trainees After Promising
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaradāna-sikkhamānana-vuṭṭhāpana
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Vinaya Sutra: Not Ordaining a Trainee After a Promise Concerning Robes
Background
This rule appears in the Pātimokkha, the collection of fundamental restraints for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in the Theravāda tradition. This Vinaya text arose from a specific event in the Sangha in the Buddha's time, concerning the reception of female trainees (sikkhamānana) into the Sangha.
The historical background shows that there were cases in which teachers had promised to provide robes (cīvara) to a female trainee before her formal ordination, that is, before she officially went forth as a bhikkhunī. However, after the ordination, they withdrew the promise or refused to provide the robes as they had committed. This situation caused instability in the Sangha and violated the bodhisattva principle of observance, namely honesty and responsibility.
The Buddha, with deep understanding of human nature and the needs of the Sangha, established this rule in order to protect the integrity of the ordination process and raise the moral standard of those who guide trainees.
Main Content
The rule "Cīvaradāna-sikkhamānana-vuṭṭhāpana" establishes that if a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has promised to provide robes for a female trainee, and afterward that female trainee is formally ordained as a bhikkhunī, the one who made the promise may not refuse or withdraw it. If they do so, this is a significant violation of the Vinaya Piṭaka.
More specifically, when a female trainee has trained fully and is ready, the Sangha community performs the formal ordination ceremony. At that time, all commitments she has received, including commitments concerning robes from compassionate monastics, become legal requirements within the Sangha. Failure to fulfill the promise is not only personal disrespect but also a violation of the Vinaya Piṭaka.
This rule applies fairly to all bhikkhus, regardless of their class or status in the Sangha.
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