Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 50Lying Down With a Woman
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mātugāmasahaseyya
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Commentary on the Mātugāmasahaseyya Sutta (Lying Down Together with a Woman)
Background
The Mātugāmasahaseyya Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Theravāda tradition, and is one of the regulations concerning sexual ethics that the Buddha established for the Saṅgha. This sutta is recorded in the Vibhaṅga and reflects the early context of the Buddhist Community, when monastics had to live in communities that afforded many opportunities for contact with women.
The circumstances that gave rise to this sutta relate to specific incidents in the history of the Community, in which certain monastics transgressed the principles of the pure and holy life. The Buddha, wishing to preserve the ethical foundation of the Community, laid down strict regulations to prevent such misconduct at its very root. The Mātugāmasahaseyya Sutta is understood as part of the preventive rules (pārivāra) intended to protect the sacred purity of the monastics.
Principal Content
The Mātugāmasahaseyya Sutta stipulates that monastics are not permitted to lie down together with a woman (mātugāma) under any circumstances whatsoever, including situations that may appear harmless. This is not a form of discrimination or disrespect toward women, but rather a wise and protective measure (dhammakkhema).
This regulation encompasses not lying down together on the same bed, in the same room, or even in the same dwelling without adequate supervision. The deeper reason is to safeguard mental composure and concentration (samādhi) and to avoid situations that could lead to the transgression of the fundamental principles concerning sensuality (kāma). In Pāli, this is called "sahaseyya" (lying down together), and is regarded as a matter of serious consequence when carried out with a woman.
This sutta emphasizes that monastics must always be mindful of whether their actions are wholesome (puñña) or unwholesome (akusala) in nature.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.