Bi Pc 8080. Ordaining without permission from family
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ananuññāta
A nun who ordains a trainee nun who has not been given permission by her parents and husband 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 unmarried women 80. Ordaining without permission from family
Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time the nun Thullanandā gave the full admission to a trainee nun who had neither been given permission by her parents nor by her husband. They complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā give the full admission to that trainee nun without our permission?”
The nuns heard the complaints of the parents and the husband. The nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Thullanandā give the full admission to a trainee nun who has neither permission from her parents nor her husband?” … “Is it true, monks, that the nun Thullanandā did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked her … “How could the nun Thullanandā 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 trainee nun who has not been given permission by her parents or her husband, 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.
Parents: the biological parents is what is meant. Husband: he who possesses her. Who has not been given permission: who has not asked permission.
A trainee nun: one who has trained for two years in the six rules. 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.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if she gives her the full admission without knowing; if she gives her the full admission after permission has been given; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The tenth 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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