Overview
The Saṅgha is a highly regulated spiritual legal body. To protect the order from being exploited by criminals, debtors, or those fleeing worldly responsibilities, the Vinaya mandates that specific obstructive conditions (antarāyikā dhammā) must be verified before ordination can occur. These can be grouped into four critical structural blocks of disqualification.
The List
- Vyādhi-vipatti - Biological Health Disqualifications: Suffering from heavy, highly disruptive or incurable diseases (specifically listed as leprosy, boils, eczema, consumption, or epilepsy).
- Ananuññāta - Social and Civil Restrictions: Lacking the necessary legal and familial permissions. This includes being a royal soldier/fugitive, an unreleased slave, a person with active debts, or a child lacking explicit parental consent.
- Liṅga-vipatti - Gender and Sexual Disqualifications: Individuals who are biologically or psychologically unsuited for standard monastic training, specifically defined as a eunuch/neuter (paṇḍaka) or a hermaphrodite (ubhatobyañjanaka).
- Akammabhāva - Age and Criminal Impediments: Being under the absolute minimum age requirements (under 15 for novice hood, under 20 for full ordination), or having committed severe crimes (such as the heinous crimes, or having previously broken a Pārājika rule).
Textual References
- Canonical: Mahāvagga (Vinaya Piṭaka) – The Buddha establishes the formal list of questions that the ordaining council must ask the candidate aloud in the midst of the assembly.