Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pj 1Sexual Intercourse
Pāli / Sanskrit:Methunadhamma
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Commentary on Methunadhamma (The Teaching on Sexual Intercourse)
Background
Methunadhamma (methuna = sexual intercourse, dhamma = teaching, principle) is an important part of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This teaching is recorded in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline for Nuns) and the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline for Monks), particularly in the section on Pārājika (the Four Defeats) — the most strictly binding rules for those who have gone forth into the homeless life.
The circumstances that gave rise to this teaching relate to the need to govern the community of monks and nuns in the early period of the Saṅgha. The Buddha established clear rules concerning the conduct, behavior, and ethics of those who had sought ordination, in order to protect the purity of the four assemblies of disciples and to ensure the long endurance of the Dharma.
Principal Content
Methunadhamma addresses the act of sexual intercourse, which is regarded as one of the Pārājika offences — that is, acts that result in the immediate and permanent loss of one's status as a monastic (offences requiring defeat). For both monks and nuns, participation in any form of sexual intercourse (methunasañcaya) is absolutely prohibited.
This teaching does not merely prohibit sexual conduct outright; it also sets forth in greater detail the various degrees of transgression. Nevertheless, any sexual contact between a monastic and another person is adjudicated according to the principles of Dhamma-Vinaya (the Buddhist Teaching and Discipline). One who commits this offence incurs Pārājika — permanent expulsion from the Saṅgha.
The deeper reason for this rule is not to suppress human nature in an arbitrary manner, but to assist those who have gone forth in directing their minds fully toward the Path. Sensual desire (kāmarāga) is regarded as one of the most powerful fetters of ignorance, obstructing liberation.
Practical Significance
Although Methunadhamma is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka for those who have gone forth into the monastic life, its significance extends beyond the community of monastics.
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