Bi Pc 6161. Ordaining a pregnant woman
Pāli / Sanskrit:Gabbhinī
A nun who ordains a pregnant woman must confess the offense.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Nuns’ Analysis
The chapter on offenses entailing confession The subchapter on pregnant women 61. Ordaining a pregnant woman
Origin story
At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, the nuns gave the full admission to a pregnant woman. When she walked for alms, people said, “Give almsfood to the venerable. She’s carrying a heavy burden.”
People complained and criticized them, “How could the nuns give the full admission to a pregnant woman?”
The nuns heard the complaints of those people and the nuns of few desires complained and criticized them, “How could nuns do this?” … “Is it true, monks, that nuns did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked them … “How could nuns do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
‘If a nun gives the full admission to a pregnant woman, she commits an offense entailing confession.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Nun: … The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case.
A pregnant woman: a woman with child is what is meant. Gives the full admission: gives the full ordination. If, intending to give the full admission, she searches for a group, a teacher, a bowl, or a robe, or she establishes a monastery zone, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
After the motion, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. After each of the first two announcements, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. When the last announcement is finished, the preceptor commits an offense entailing confession, and the group and the teacher commit an offense of wrong conduct.
Permutations
If the woman is pregnant, and the nun perceives her as such, yet she gives her the full admission, she commits an offense entailing confession. If the woman is pregnant, but the nun is unsure of it, yet she gives her the full admission, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the woman is pregnant, but the nun does not perceive her as such, and she gives her the full admission, there is no offense.
If the woman is not pregnant, but the nun perceives her as such, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the woman is not pregnant, but the nun is unsure of it, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If the woman is not pregnant, and the nun does not perceive her as such, there is no offense.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if she gives the full admission to a woman who is pregnant, but she does not perceive her as such; if she gives the full admission to a woman who is not pregnant, and she does not perceive her as such; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The first training rule is finished.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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