Lzh Mu Bu Pm Pc 65Lying Down With a Woman
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mātugāmasahaseyya
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The Discourse on Lying Down With a Woman (Mātugāmasahaseyya)
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of rules governing the community of Buddhist monks and nuns, recorded from the teachings of the Buddha. The Discourse on Lying Down With a Woman (Mātugāmasahaseyya) belongs to the Pātimokkha within the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the section on Pācittiya offenses—offenses of a moderate nature requiring confession and repentance.
In its historical context, the Buddha established these rules in order to protect purity of conduct (brahmacariya), to uphold the honor of the Sangha, and to maintain the respect of the lay community. The rules pertaining to interaction between men and women arose from specific incidents in which monastics had carelessly transgressed the spirit of the holy life, giving rise to complaints from the people and from the faithful.
Main Content
The Mātugāmasahaseyya rule prohibits monastics from sleeping in the same room as a woman, or from being in close proximity in a sleeping situation. Specifically, if a monk lies down to sleep—or feigns sleep—together with a woman in the same enclosed space, and the distance between them is less than the width of a cloth (a piece of fabric), that monk commits a Pācittiya offense—an offense requiring repentance before the assembly.
This rule is not intended to judge or to demean women, but rather to protect chastity (brahmacariya) and the focusing of the mind upon practice. Monastics in the Theravāda tradition vow to uphold the Five Precepts (Pañcasīla), or at a higher level the Eight Precepts on a temporary basis, and those who have gone forth must observe the full Pātimokkha—more than two hundred precepts. Proximity to a person of the opposite sex may give rise to distraction, weaken the mind, and lead to improper conduct contrary to the commitments of one who has gone forth.
Furthermore, this rule also serves to protect the honor of the Sangha.
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