After rising early in the morning, the Buddha heard the sound of those boys. He asked Venerable Ānanda, who told him what was happening. Soon afterwards the Buddha had the Sangha gathered and questioned the monks: “Is it true, monks, that the monks give the full ordination to people they know are less than twenty years old?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked them … “How can those foolish men do this? A person who is less than twenty years old is unable to endure cold and heat; hunger and thirst; horseflies, mosquitoes, wind, and the burning sun; creeping animals and insects; and rude and unwelcome speech. And they are unable to bear up with bodily feelings that are painful, severe, sharp, and destructive of life. But a person who’s twenty is able to endure these things. This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling