Xct Mu Bi Pc 83Not Ordaining Trainees After Promising
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaradāna-sikkhamānana-vuṭṭhāpana
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Sutra on Not Ordaining Female Trainees After Promising to Provide Robes
Background
This sutra comes from the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, in the section regulating discipline in the Bhikkhunī Sangha, the total body of female monastics. The historical background of the sutra is connected with disputes and difficulties in managing female trainees (Sikkhamānā) in the early Buddhist community.
In the Buddha's time, when the Vinaya Piṭaka was established to protect the independence and purity of the community of monks and nuns, regulations concerning ordination (Upasampadā) were constructed in detail. In particular, female trainees preparing to enter the life of renunciation (Sikkhamānā) had to follow certain conditions and tests before being formally accepted into the Sangha.
This sutra addresses a specific situation: when a bhikkhunī or monastic establishment has promised to provide robes for a female trainee but later does not fulfill that promise, can the ordination proceed? This is a question about legal and ethical obligation within the Sangha.
Main Content
According to the principles of the Vinaya Piṭaka, a female trainee who wishes to receive formal ordination must meet many prerequisites. Among them, having a sponsor (Anusāyinī Bhikkhunī) and preparation of the necessary possessions, especially robes, are important factors.
When a bhikkhunī has promised to provide robes for a female trainee, this promise is not a minor matter; it has the nature of a legal commitment within the Sangha community. However, if for some reason the one who promised cannot or does not wish to fulfill the commitment, a legal question arises: can ordination take place without this condition being fully met?
The Vinaya Piṭaka establishes that ordination must be performed completely, without gaps or deficiencies. If a female trainee is ordained without all necessary conditions being complete, including robes, that ordination may be regarded as invalid (Aparisuddhā Upasampadā).
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