Mahāsaṅghika Vinaya

Garudhamma 2

The two-year training.

Explanation

For an 18 year old woman who wants to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya, the preceptor should provide everything she needs, and should inform the sangha to make proper arrangements. In the bhikkhunī sangha, someone who can carry out formal acts should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the noble sangha listen. The 18 year old woman So-and-so wants to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya. If the right time has come for the sangha, So-and-so wants to ask the sangha for the training precepts for two years. May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so wants to ask the sangha for the training precepts for two years. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

That woman then comes into the sangha. She should bow with her head at the sangha’s feet one by one. When she has bowed at the sangha’s feet, she should be instructed to say, kneeling and with joined palms:

“May the noble sangha remember that I, the 18 year old woman So-and-so, want to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya. Now I ask the sangha for the training precepts for two years. May the noble sangha give me the training precepts for two years out of compassion.” Like this, she should speak three times.

Saṅghakamma

The master of ceremony should then say: “May the noble sangha listen. The woman So-and-so is 18 years old, and has asked the sangha for the training precepts for two years. If the right time has come for the sangha, may the sangha give So-and-so the two-year-training-precepts. This is the motion. May the noble sangha listen. The woman So-and-so is 18 years old, and has asked the sangha for the training precepts for two years. The sangha now gives So-and-so the training precepts for two years. If the noble sangha accepts to give So-and-so the training precepts for two years with So-and-so as her preceptor, you should remain silent. If you don’t accept this, you should speak. This is the first announcement.” A second and third time are recited in the same way. “The sangha has given So-and-so the training precepts for two years. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

When that sikkhamānā has received the training precepts for two years, she should follow and practise 18 matters. Which 18? She’s junior to all the full bhikkhunīs, and senior to all the sāmaṇerīs. What is impure for a sikkhamānā may be pure for a full bhikkhunī, what is impure for a bhikkhunī is also impure for a sikkhamānā. A bhikkhunī may spend three nights with a sikkhamānā. A sikkhamānā may spend three nights with a sāmaṇerī. A sikkhamānā may offer food to the bhikkhunīs, except for the five kinds of purifications of living seeds by fire (etc.) Fruits have to be made allowable for consumption by monastics through a procedure that symbolically damages the seeds. This can be done with five methods, one of them being with fire.* and for taking gold, silver, and money. This last part is missing in pācittiya 98.* She may accept food from sāmaṇerīs. Bhikkhunīs may not speak about the pārājikas … the minor vinaya rules to her. They may say: “Don’t have sexual intercourse, don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t lie, and so on.” On the uposatha or the pavāraṇā day, a sikkhamānā should go to the sangha, and she should say kneeling and with joined palms: “Noble sangha, I, So-and-so, am pure. The sangha should remember it.” She should speak like this three times and leave. If she breaks any of the last four pārājikas, she should train again from the beginning. If she breaks any rule from the 19 sanghadisesas down, then she should make a confession for a dukkaṭa. If she breaks the five precepts, her training is extended for as many days as she has broken them. Which five? To eat at the wrong time, to eat stored food, to receive money, gold, or silver, to drink alcohol, to wear flowers and perfumes. These are called the 18 rules.

When that sikkhamānā has completed the two-year training in the precepts, and wants to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya, her preceptor should inform the sangha, and request the formal act to take on students. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the noble sangha listen. The sikkhamānā So-and-so has completed the two-year training in the precepts, and wants to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya. If the right time has come for the sangha, her preceptor So-and-so wants to ask the sangha for the formal act to take on students. May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so wants to ask the sangha for the formal act to take on students. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

The precepter should say, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the noble sangha remember that this sikkhamānā has completed the two-year training in the precepts, is 20 years old, and wants to receive the full ordination. I, So-and-so, now ask the sangha for the formal act to take on students. May the sangha give me the formal act to take on students.” Like this, she should speak three times.

Saṅghakamma

The master of ceremony should then say: “May the noble sangha listen. Sikkhamānā So-and-so has completed the two-year training in the precepts, is 20 years old, and wants to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya. The bhikkhunī So-and-so has asked the sangha for the formal act to take on students. If the right time has come for the sangha, may the sangha give bhikkhunī So-and-so the formal act to take on students. This is the motion. May the noble sangha listen. Sikkhamānā So-and-so has completed the two-year training in the precepts, is 20 years old, and wants to receive the full ordination in the Tathāgata’s dhamma-vinaya. The bhikkhunī So-and-so has asked the sangha for the formal act to take on students. The sangha now gives bhikkhunī So-and-so the formal act to take on students. If the venerables accept to give bhikkhunī So-and-so the formal act to take on students, you should remain silent. If you don’t accept this, you should speak. This is the first announcement.” A second and third time are recited in the same way. “The sangha has accepted to give bhikkhunī So-and-so the formal act to take on students. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

That sikkhamānā who has completed the two-year training in the precepts, is 20 years old, and wants to receive the full ordination, comes into the sangha, and first bows with her head at the sangha’s feet. Having bowed at the sangha’s feet, she first invites her preceptor, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the venerable remember, I, So-and-so ask the venerable to be my preceptor. May the venerable act as preceptor for me, and give me the full ordination.” Like this, she should speak three times. The preceptor should say to arouse joy in the student’s mind: “I humbly accept to be your preceptor.” She should first look for robes and a bowl, a quorum, two precept-masters, and instructors in an empty, quiet place. Surveilling the sangha, the master of ceremony should say: “From among these, who could act as instructors for So-and-so in an empty, quiet place?” People answer: “I can.” The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so receives the full ordination from So-and-so. If the right time has come for the sangha, So-and-so will be her preceptor, and So-and-so and So-and-so can act as instructors for her in an empty, quiet place. May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so is the preceptor, and So-and-so and So-and-so act as instructors for her in an empty, quiet place. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.

The instructors should take the person who wants to receive the full ordination away from the sangha not to close and not too far. There are two kinds of instruction, the abridged one and the detailed one. What is the abridged? “When they ask in the sangha, if something is so, you should say yes. If not, you should say no.” What is the detailed? “Good woman, please listen. Now a time of sincerity has come. This is a time of speaking the truth. In this world with gods, māras, brahmas, renunciates, brahmins, gods, humans, and asuras, if you don’t say the truth, you’ll deceive them all. Moreover, you’ll deceive the bhikkhunī assembly, the disciples of the Tathāgata, worthy of offerings and fully awakened. This is a great offense. Now I’ll ask you. If something is so, you should say yes. If not, you should say no. Are your parents or your husband alive?” If she says: “They’re alive,” one should ask: “Have your parents or your husband allowed it?

Have you asked a preceptor? Are your five robes and bowl complete? Have you completed the two-year training in the precepts? Has the formal act to take on a group been carried out? What is your name?” She answers: “My name is So-and-so.” “What is your preceptor’s name?” She answers: “Her name is So-and-so.” “You haven’t killed your parents? You haven’t killed an arahant? You haven’t split the sangha? You haven’t drawn blood from the Buddha’s body with an evil mind?” (It has been a long time since the Buddha’s nibbāna, and this is an old, ancient text.) You haven’t broken a bhikkhu’s pure precepts? You haven’t lived here as a thief? You haven’t gone over to another religious movement? You haven’t gone forth by yourself? Have you previously already received the full ordination?” If she says: “I’ve already received it,” one should say: “Go, you may not receive the full ordination.” If she says: “No,” one should ask: “You’re not a slavewoman? You’re not a pledged woman? You don’t have debts with other people? You’re not a soldier? You haven’t conspired against the king’s court? Are you a woman? You’re not a barren woman? (Your private parts) aren’t rotting and decaying? Your vagina and anus aren’t joined? They aren’t defective? You’re not without breasts? You don’t have just one breast? You don’t menstruate constantly? You’re not without menstruation? In one month, you don’t menstruate often? You’re not an impotent woman?

You don’t have all kinds of diseases like these in your body, do you: Scabies, festering sores, leprosy, abscesses, persistent hemorrhoids, jaundice, malaria, cough, tuberculosis, epilepsy, fever, swellings due to air or liquid, swellings in the abdomen, or similar kinds of diseases? Do you still have other diseases in your body?” She answers “no”. The instructors go back to the sangha, and inform them: “So-and-so has been fully asked. She says that she’s pure and without obstructive states.” The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

That person comes into the sangha. She should bow with her head at the sangha’s feet one by one. Before the precept-masters, kneeling and with joined palms, she should be given the robes and the bowl. (She says:) “This almsbowl according to measure is used as the utensil on almsround. I determine it.” Like this, she should speak three times. “This is the saṅghāṭī, this is the uttarāsaṅga, this is the antaravāsaka, this is the shoulder-covering robe, and this is the bathing robe. These are my five robes. I won’t spend the night away from these five robes for my whole life. I determine them.” Like this, she should speak three times. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so receives the full ordination from So-and-so. So-and-so has been fully taught and questioned in an empty, quiet place. If the right time has come for the sangha, So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, wants to ask the sangha for the full ordination. May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, wants to ask the sangha for the full ordination. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.” The master of ceremony should then instruct her to ask: “May the noble sangha listen. I, So-and-so, receive the full ordination from my preceptor So-and-so. The teachers So-and-so have already fully taught and questioned me in an empty, quiet place. I, So-and-so, with So-and-so as my preceptor, now ask the sangha for the full ordination. May the sangha give me the full ordination out of compassion.” Like this, she should speak three times. The master of ceremony should say: “May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so receives the full ordination from So-and-so. So-and-so has been fully taught and questioned in an empty, quiet place, and asks the sangha for the full ordination. If the right time has come for the sangha, I want to ask So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, about the obstructive states in the midst of the sangha. May the noble sangha listen. I want to ask So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, about the obstructive states in the midst of the sangha. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

“Good woman, please listen. Now a time of sincerity has come, a time of speaking the truth. … or similar kinds of diseases. Do you still have other diseases in your body?” She answers “no”. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so receives the full ordination from So-and-so. So-and-so has been fully taught and questioned in an empty, quiet place, and asks the sangha for the full ordination. Her parents or husband have allowed it. She has asked a preceptor, and her five robes and bowl are complete. This woman has completed the two-year training in the precepts. The formal act to take on a group has been carried out. She said that she’s pure and without obstructive states. If the right time has come for the sangha, I want to recite the three supports in the midst of the sangha for So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor. May the noble sangha listen. I want to recite the three supports in the midst of the sangha for So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

“Good woman, please listen. These are the three supports that the Tathāgata, worthy of offerings and fully awakened, wishing to benefit us, has correctly explained and laid down for his disciples in the bhikkhunī sangha. If she has a mind that is enduring and straight, a good woman may be given the full ordination. If she doesn’t endure, she may not be given the full ordination. Which three? A rag robe is a small thing, easy to obtain, fitting, without faults, appropriate for a bhikkhunī. Relying on this, one may go forth, receive the full ordination, and accomplish becoming a bhikkhunī. In this respect, can you endure to wear rag robes for your whole life?” She answers: “I can.” “Additionally, woolen robes, cotton robes, linen robes, silk robes, sunn hemp robes, hemp robes, and woven-linen robes are allowed.”

Relying on almsfood is a small thing, easy to obtain, fitting, without faults, appropriate for a bhikkhunī. Relying on this, one may go forth, receive the full ordination, and accomplish becoming a bhikkhunī. In this respect, can you endure going on almsround for your whole life?” She answers: “I can.” “Additionally, half-monthly meals, meals on the eighth day, on the fourteenth day, and on the fifteenth day, when the precepts are recited, meals by drawing lots, and meals by invitation are allowed.”

Relying on fermented urine as medicine is a small thing, easy to obtain, fitting, without faults, appropriate for a bhikkhunī. Relying on this, one may go forth, receive the full ordination, and accomplish becoming a bhikkhunī. In this respect, can you endure to take fermented urine as medicine for your whole life?” She answers: “I can.” “Additionally, ghee, oil, honey, sugar, butter, and fat are allowed. Relying on these three noble things, you should follow the training.”

Saṅghakamma

May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so receives the full ordination from So-and-so. She has been fully taught and questioned in an empty, quiet place, and has asked the sangha for the full ordination. Her parents or husband have allowed it. She has asked a preceptor, and her five robes and bowl are complete. This woman has completed the two-year training in the precepts. The formal act to take on students has been carried out. She said that she’s pure and without obstructive states. She endures the three supports. If the right time has come for the sangha, may the sangha give So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. This is the motion. May the noble sangha listen. So-and-so receives the full ordination from So-and-so. She has been fully taught and questioned in an empty, quiet place, and has asked the sangha for the full ordination. Her parents or husband have allowed it. She has asked a preceptor, and her five robes and bowl are complete. This woman has completed the two-year training in the precepts. The formal act to take on students has been carried out. She said that she’s pure and without obstructive states. She endures the three supports. The sangha now gives the full ordination to So-and-so with So-and-so as her preceptor. May the venerables accept to give So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. If you accept this, the sangha should remain silent. If you don’t accept this, you should speak. This is the first announcement.” A second and third time are recited in the same way. “The sangha has given So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

Good woman, please listen. You’ve received the full ordination, with one motion and three announcements, without obstructive states, by a sangha in harmony, in an assembly of 10 persons. You should now respect the Buddha, respect the dhamma, respect the sangha, respect your preceptor, and respect your teachers. You’ve obtained a human body, which is difficult to obtain, live in a Buddha age, which is difficult to encounter, heard the dhamma, which is also difficult, and your wish has been accomplished in a sangha in harmony, which is difficult. You’ve obtained the full ordination, and should follow the training. Like the Asoka flower separates from dust and water, you should rely on cultivating nibbāna and wholesome states, and fully attain them. These precepts: the introduction, the eight pārājikas, the 19 saṅghādisesas, the 30 nissaggiya pācittiyas, the 141 pācittiyas, the eight pātidesanīyas, the many training rules, the seven rules for settling disputes, and the anudhammas, I’ll now explain briefly to instruct you. Your preceptor and teachers should teach you in detail.”

When she has received the full ordination, the preceptor should take her to the bhikkhu sangha on the same day. The preceptor ask, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the venerable sangha remember, I’ve given So-and-so the full ordination. I now ask the sangha to give So-and-so the full ordination. Out of compassion, give So-and-so the full ordination.” Like this, she should speak three times. The master of ceremony should ask: “Is she pure and without obstructive states in the bhikkhunī sangha?” If he doesn’t ask, he breaks a minor vinaya rule. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the venerable sangha listen. So-and-so has received the full ordination from So-and-so bhikkhunī. She’s pure and without obstructive states in the bhikkhunī sangha. The bhikkhunī So-and-so has asked the sangha to give the full ordination. If the right time has come for the sangha, So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, wants to ask the sangha for the full ordination. May the venerables listen. So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, wants to ask the sangha for the full ordination. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

The master of ceremony should instruct her to say, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the venerable sangha remember. I, So-and-so, have received the full ordination from my preceptor So-and-so. I’m pure and without obstructive states in the bhikkhunī sangha. I, So-and-so, with So-and-so as my preceptor, now ask the sangha for the full ordination. May the sangha give me the full ordination out of compassion.” Like this, she should speak three times. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the venerable sangha listen. So-and-so has received the full ordination from So-and-so. She’s pure and without obstructive states in the bhikkhunī sangha. She has asked the sangha for the full ordination. If the right time has come for the sangha, I want to ask So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, about the obstructive states in the midst of the sangha. May the venerable sangha listen. I want to ask So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor, about the obstructive states in the midst of the sangha. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

The master of ceremony should ask: “Now a time of sincerity has come, a time of speaking the truth. In this world with gods, māras, brahmas, renunciates, brahmins, gods, humans, and asuras, if you don’t say the truth, you’ll deceive them all. Moreover, you’ll deceive both sanghas of the Tathāgata, worthy of offerings and fully awakened. This is a great offense. Now I’ll ask you in the sangha. If something is so, you should say yes. If not, you should say no. Are your parents or your husband alive?” … Except for the questions about women’s private parts, all other questions are asked as above. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the venerable sangha listen. So-and-so has received the full ordination from So-and-so. She has been asked in the bhikkhunī sangha if she’s pure and without obstructive states. She has asked the sangha for the full ordination. Her parents or husband have allowed it. She has asked a preceptor, and her five robes and bowl are complete. She has completed the two-year training in the precepts. The formal act to take on a group has been asked for and done. She said that she’s pure and without obstructive states. If the right time has come for the sangha, I want to recite the three supports in the midst of the sangha for So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor. May the venerable sangha listen. I want to recite the three supports in the midst of the sangha for So-and-so, with So-and-so as her preceptor. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.

Good woman, please listen. These are the three supports that the Tathāgata, worthy of offerings and fully awakened, wishing to benefit us, has correctly explained and laid down for his disciples in the bhikkhunī sangha. If she has a mind that is enduring and straight, a good woman may be given the full ordination. If she doesn’t endure, she may not be given the full ordination. A rag robe is a small thing, easy to obtain, fitting, without faults, appropriate for a bhikkhunī. Relying on this, one may go forth, receive the full ordination, and accomplish becoming a bhikkhunī. In this respect, can you endure to wear rag robes for your whole life?” She answers: “I can.” “Additionally, woolen robes, cotton robes, linen robes, silk robes, sunn hemp robes, hemp robes, and woven-linen robes are allowed.” Likewise relying on almsfood, and relying on fermented urine as medicine are as explained in detail above.

Saṅghakamma

May the venerable sangha listen. So-and-so has received the full ordination from So-and-so. She’s pure and without obstructive states in the bhikkhunī sangha. She has asked the sangha for the full ordination. Her parents or husband have allowed it. She has asked a preceptor, and her five robes and bowl are complete. She has completed the two-year training in the precepts. The formal act to take on a group has been asked for and carried out. She said that she’s pure and without obstructive states. She endures the three supports. If the right time has come for the sangha, may the sangha give So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. This is the motion. May the venerable sangha listen. So-and-so has received the full ordination from So-and-so. She’s pure and without obstructive states in the bhikkhunī sangha. She has asked the sangha for the full ordination. Her parents or husband have allowed it. She has asked a preceptor, and her five robes and bowl are complete. She has completed the two-year training in the precepts. The formal act to take on a group has been asked for and carried out. She said that she’s pure and without obstructive states. She endures the three supports. The sangha now gives So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. May the venerables accept to give So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. If you accept this, you should remain silent. If you don’t accept this, you should speak. This is the first announcement.” A second and third time are recited in the same way. “The sangha has given So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

Good woman, please listen. You’ve received the full ordination, well received the full ordination, with one motion and three announcements, without obstructive states, by a sangha in harmony, in both assemblies, in an assembly of 10 persons or more. You should now respect the Buddha, respect the dhamma, respect the sangha, respect your preceptor, and respect your teachers. You’ve obtained a human body, which is difficult to obtain, live in a Buddha age, which is difficult to encounter, heard the dhamma, which is also difficult, and your wish has been accomplished in a sangha in harmony, which is difficult. You’ve paid homage to the Sakyan lion and his assembly of disciples, and obtained the full ordination. Like the Asoka flower separates from dust and water, you should rely on cultivating nibbāna and wholesome states, and fully attain them.

Ordination by messenger

The Buddha was staying at Vesālī in the great wood, in the two-story monastery. At that time, a student of Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī wanted to receive the full ordination. Then Apraśarka, a young Licchavi, heard that Dhammadinnā’s student wanted to receive the full ordination, and thought: “This woman has done such-and-such a harmful thing to me. Now when she leaves the monastery gate, I’ll grab her and rape her, so she can’t receive the full ordination. When Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī had heard this, she went to the World-honored One, bowed with her head at his feet, stood at one side, and said to the Buddha: “World-honored One, I’ve a student who wants to receive the full ordination. If she leaves the monastery, she fears that she’ll be raped. If she stays there, and the (bhikkhu) sangha is here, may she receive the full ordination from a distance?” The Buddha said: “She may. When the bhikkhunī sangha has first given the full ordination, you should go to the bhikkhu sangha to ask for the full ordination by messenger.” When the bhikkhunī sangha had given the full ordination, Dhammadinnā went and informed the bhikkhu sangha that she asks for the full ordination by messenger. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the venerable sangha listen. Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī’s student So-and-so wants to receive the full ordination. If she came, she’d fear to be raped. If the right time has come for the sangha, Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī’s student So-and-so wants to ask the sangha for the full ordination by messenger. May the venerable sangha listen. Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī’s student So-and-so wants to ask the sangha for the full ordination by messenger. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

The preceptor should say in the midst of the sangha, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the venerable sangha remember. The student So-and-so of me, Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī, wants to receive the full ordination. If she came, she’d fear to be raped. She has received the full ordination in the bhikkhunī sangha, and is without obstructive states. I, So-and-so, ask on behalf of my student So-and-so for the full ordination by messenger. May the venerable sangha give my student So-and-so the full ordination by messenger out of compassion.” Like this, she should speak three times. In the sangha, two or three capable persons should (be appointed) by a formal act. It’s not allowed (to appoint) a (larger) group by a formal act. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the venerable sangha listen. Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī’s student So-and-so wants to receive the full ordination. She has received the full ordination in the bhikkhunī sangha, and is without obstructive states. If she came, she’d fear to be raped. Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī has asked the sangha on behalf of her student So-and-so for the full ordination by messenger. If the right time has come for the sangha, the sangha now (appoints) bhikkhus So-and-so and So-and-so by a formal act to give the full ordination to bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā’s student So-and-so. This is the motion. May the venerable sangha listen. Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī has given the full ordination to her student So-and-so. She has received the full ordination in the bhikkhunī sangha, and is without obstructive states. If she came, she’d fear to be raped. Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī has asked the sangha on behalf of her student So-and-so for the full ordination by messenger. The sangha now (appoints) bhikkhus So-and-so and So-and-so by a formal act as messengers to give the full ordination to bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā’s student So-and-so. If the venerables accept (to appoint) bhikkhus So-and-so and So-and-so by a formal act as messengers to give the full ordination to bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā’s student So-and-so, you should remain silent. If you don’t accept this, you should speak. This is the first announcement.” A second and third time are recited in the same way. “The sangha (has appointed) bhikkhus So-and-so and So-and-so by a formal act as messengers to give the full ordination to bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā’s student So-and-so. The sangha accepts this, therefore you’re silent. This matter is remembered thus.”

When these bhikkhus have accepted the formal act, they should go to the bhikkhunī monastery. The ordination candidate should ask the messengers, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the venerable sangha remember. I, So-and-so, have received the full ordination from my preceptor So-and-so. I’ve received the full ordination in the bhikkhunī sangha. I’m pure and without obstructive states. If I went out from here, I fear that I’d be raped. So I stayed here. I, So-and-so, with So-and-so as my preceptor, now ask the sangha for the full ordination. May the sangha give me the full ordination out of compassion.” Like this, she should speak three times. The preceptor should go to the (bhikkhu) sangha together with the messengers. The preceptor should ask, kneeling and with joined palms: “May the venerable sangha remember. The student So-and-so of me, Dhammadinnā bhikkhunī, wants to receive the full ordination. She has received the full ordination in the bhikkhunī sangha. She’s pure and without obstructive states. If she came, she fears that she’d be raped. So she stayed back. The student So-and-so of me, Dhammadinnā, now asks the sangha for the full ordination. May the sangha to give her the full ordination out of compassion.” Like this, she should speak three times. The master of ceremony should say:

Saṅghakamma

“May the venerable sangha listen. So-and-so has received the full ordination from So-and-so. She has received the full ordination in the bhikkhunī sangha. She’s pure and without obstructive states. If she came, she fears that she’d be raped. So she stayed back. Her preceptor So-and-so has asked the sangha for the full ordination. If the right time has come for the sangha, may the sangha give So-and-so the full ordination with So-and-so as her preceptor. This is the motion.”

When one motion and three announcements have been done, the preceptor returns to the bhikkhunī monastery together with the messengers, and says: “Good woman, please listen. You’ve received the full ordination, with one motion and three announcements, without obstructive states, in an assembly of 10 persons or more, in harmony, in both assemblies. Your ordination is completed. You should respect the three jewels. You’ve obtained a human body, which is difficult to obtain, live in a Buddha age, which is difficult to encounter, and heard the dhamma, which is also difficult.” This is called receiving the full ordination in both sanghas after having trained in the precepts for two years. This is called the second rule of respect.

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