Bi Pc 8383. Ordaining two in the same year

Ekavassa Sutta: Ordaining Two Female Disciples in One Year

Background

The Paccattā Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline for nuns) is the section of the Vinaya devoted specifically to the community of female monastics within the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka. The Ekavassa sutta (ekavassa = one rains retreat) records an important regulation concerning the rights of nuns to independently instruct and certify candidates for ordination.

In the Theravāda tradition, a nun is permitted to ordain others (to receive those seeking to go forth) only after she has completed two rains retreats in accordance with the Vinaya. However, once she has fulfilled this condition, a senior nun must observe specific regulations regarding the number of persons she may ordain within a single rains retreat year. This regulation was established in order to ensure the quality of practice, to avoid an excessive burden in the work of instruction, and to maintain discipline within the monastic community of monks and nuns.

Principal Content

According to Bhikkhunī Pācittiya (Pātimokkha — a minor offense requiring confession) number 83, a nun is permitted to ordain no more than one female disciple in a single rains retreat year. If a nun violates this regulation and of her own accord ordains two or more persons within the same rains retreat season, she must confess this offense before the assembled gathering of nuns.

This conduct is regarded as a transgression not because it is a grave offense (pārājika or saṅghādisesa), but because it is a pācittiya offense — a fault to be corrected through public confession. Such confession does not lead to expulsion or loss of monastic status, but it must be performed sincerely before the community in order to restore purity in one's practice.

This regulation emphasizes that the ordaining of others is not an absolute right but a responsibility to be exercised with careful discernment. Each nun should receive only one new student in a given year so as to have sufficient time and mental energy to guide her, helping the disciple to firmly grasp the preliminary rules and to develop her aspiration for the path in a sound and stable manner.

Practical Significance

The Ekavassa regulation reflects a profound principle in the Buddha-Dharma: quality over quantity. In contemporary practice, even if we are not formal teachers, we may still serve as spiritual guides for those around us.