72. Dutiyakumāribhūtasikkhāpada
Tena samayena buddho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena bhikkhuniyo paripuṇṇavīsativassaṁ kumāribhūtaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu asikkhitasikkhaṁ vuṭṭhāpenti. Tā bālā honti abyattā; na jānanti kappiyaṁ vā akappiyaṁ vā. Yā tā bhikkhuniyo appicchā …pe… tā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “kathañhi nāma bhikkhuniyo paripuṇṇavīsativassaṁ kumāribhūtaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu asikkhitasikkhaṁ vuṭṭhāpessantī”ti …pe… “saccaṁ kira, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo paripuṇṇavīsativassaṁ kumāribhūtaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu asikkhitasikkhaṁ vuṭṭhāpentī”ti? “Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti. Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe… kathañhi nāma, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo paripuṇṇavīsativassaṁ kumāribhūtaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu asikkhitasikkhaṁ vuṭṭhāpessanti. Netaṁ, bhikkhave, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe… vigarahitvā …pe… dhammiṁ kathaṁ katvā bhikkhū āmantesi— “anujānāmi, bhikkhave, aṭṭhārasavassāya kumāribhūtāya dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiṁ dātuṁ. Evañca pana, bhikkhave, dātabbā. Tāya aṭṭhārasavassāya kumāribhūtāya saṅghaṁ upasaṅkamitvā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā bhikkhunīnaṁ pāde vanditvā ukkuṭikaṁ nisīditvā añjaliṁ paggahetvā evamassa vacanīyo— ‘ahaṁ, ayye, itthannāmā itthannāmāya ayyāya aṭṭhārasavassā kumāribhūtā saṅghaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiṁ yācāmī’ti. Dutiyampi yācitabbā. Tatiyampi yācitabbā. Byattāya bhikkhuniyā paṭibalāya saṅgho ñāpetabbo— ‘Suṇātu me, ayye, saṅgho. Ayaṁ itthannāmā itthannāmāya ayyāya aṭṭhārasavassā kumāribhūtā saṅghaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiṁ yācati. Yadi saṅghassa pattakallaṁ, saṅgho itthannāmāya aṭṭhārasavassāya kumāribhūtāya dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiṁ dadeyya. Esā ñatti. Suṇātu me, ayye, saṅgho. Ayaṁ itthannāmā itthannāmāya ayyāya aṭṭhārasavassā kumāribhūtā saṅghaṁ dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiṁ yācati. Saṅgho itthannāmāya aṭṭhārasavassāya kumāribhūtāya dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiṁ deti. Yassā ayyāya khamati itthannāmāya aṭṭhārasavassāya kumāribhūtāya dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammutiyā dānaṁ, sā tuṇhassa; yassā nakkhamati, sā bhāseyya. Dinnā saṅghena itthannāmāya aṭṭhārasavassāya kumāribhūtāya dve vassāni chasu dhammesu sikkhāsammuti. Khamati saṅghassa, tasmā tuṇhī, evametaṁ dhārayāmī’”ti. Sā aṭṭhārasavassā kumāribhūtā evaṁ vadehīti vattabbā— “pāṇātipātā veramaṇiṁ dve vassāni avītikkamma samādānaṁ samādiyāmi …pe… vikālabhojanā veramaṇiṁ dve vassāni avītikkamma samādānaṁ samādiyāmī”ti. Atha kho bhagavā tā bhikkhuniyo anekapariyāyena vigarahitvā dubbharatāya …pe… evañca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhuniyo imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddisantu—
Ordaining an untrained unmarried woman Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time the nuns were giving the full admission to unmarried women who were more than twenty years old, but who had not trained for two years in the six rules. They were ignorant and incompetent, and they did not know what was allowable and what was not. The nuns of few desires complained and criticized them, “How can nuns give the full admission to unmarried women who are more than twenty years old, but who haven’t trained for two years in the six rules?” … “Is it true, monks, that nuns do this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked them … “How can nuns do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” After rebuking them … he gave a teaching and addressed the monks: “Monks, approval is required for an unmarried woman who is eighteen years old to train for two years in the six rules. And the approval is to be given like this. After approaching the Sangha of nuns, that unmarried woman who is eighteen years old should arrange her upper robe over one shoulder and pay respect at the feet of the nuns. She should then squat on her heels, raise her joined palms, and say: ‘Venerables, I, so-and-so, an unmarried woman who is eighteen years old, am training under venerable so-and-so. I ask the Sangha for approval to train for two years in the six rules.’ And she should ask a second and a third time. A competent and capable nun should then inform the Sangha: ‘Please, venerables, I ask the Sangha to listen. The unmarried woman so-and-so, who is eighteen years old, is asking the Sangha for approval to train for two years in the six rules under venerable so-and-so. If the Sangha is ready, it should give approval to the unmarried woman so-and-so, who is eighteen years old, to train for two years in the six rules. This is the motion. Please, venerables, I ask the Sangha to listen. The unmarried woman so-and-so, who is eighteen years old, is asking the Sangha for approval to train for two years in the six rules under venerable so-and-so. The Sangha gives approval to the unmarried woman so-and-so, who is eighteen years old, to train for two years in the six rules. Any nun who approves of giving approval to the unmarried woman so-and-so, who is eighteen years old, to train for two years in the six rules should remain silent. Any nun who doesn’t approve should speak up. The Sangha has given approval to the unmarried woman so-and-so, who is eighteen years old, to train for two years in the six rules. The Sangha approves and is therefore silent. I will remember it thus.’ That unmarried woman who is eighteen years old should be told to say this: ‘I undertake to abstain from killing living beings for two years without transgression. … I undertake to abstain from eating at the wrong time for two years without transgression.’” Then, after rebuking those nuns in many ways, the Buddha spoke in dispraise of being difficult to support … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this: