Xct Mu Bu Pm Pc 57Obstructions and a Novice
Pāli / Sanskrit:Samaṇuddesaantarāyika
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Samaṇuddesaantarāyika Sutta: Obstructions in the Admission of a Novice
Background
The Samaṇuddesaantarāyika Sutta (Obstructions in the admission of a novice) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of Theravāda Buddhism. The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of ethical and disciplinary rules for monastics issued by the Buddha to protect the Sangha and guide practitioners in pure practice.
This sutta lies within the Vinaya Piṭaka and concerns a series of regulations related to receiving, admitting, and training novices (sāmaṇeras), young monastics or those newly entering the renunciant life. A novice occupies a special place in the Buddhist monastic system: they are persons who have resolved to study the Buddha-Dharma but have not yet received formal bhikkhu or bhikkhunī ordination, or have not completed other monastic stages.
The historical background of this sutta arises from specific situations in the early Sangha, when the Buddha and his disciples needed to define the conditions, obstructions, and procedures necessary for a person to be properly received and trained.
Main Content
The Samaṇuddesaantarāyika Sutta focuses on the basic obstructions and conditions (antarāyika) that novices must overcome or avoid in order to be lawfully received into the monastic community.
The main obstructions mentioned in this sutta include issues of identity, morality, and monastic legality. According to the Vinaya tradition, a person wishing to become a novice must satisfy certain conditions: appropriate age, usually eight years or older; not being among those prohibited because of serious offenses or grave mental or physical defects; having parental consent if underage; and clearly showing the wish to study the Buddha-Dharma.
The obstructions are not only legal factors, but also concern the virtue and mental capacity of the applicant.
🌏 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.