Lzh Mu Bu Vb Pc 65Lying Down With a Woman
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mātugāmasahaseyya
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Mātugāmasahaseyya Discourse: Lying Down with a Woman
Background
This discourse comes from the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the analysis of the nuns’ discipline. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of training rules laid down by the Buddha to preserve the nature of the Sangha community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, ensuring purity and harmony in monasteries.
In the context of the Theravāda Buddhadharma, maintaining celibacy (brahmacariya) is the foundation of the life of practice. The Mātugāmasahaseyya discourse revolves around restrictions on lying down together with women, in order to protect the order of monastic practice and avoid situations that could obstruct the concentration (samādhi) of the monastic. These regulations do not arise from contempt or hatred toward women, but from a deep understanding of human psychology and the factors that can break complete dedication to the path.
Main Content
The prohibition (Pācittiya 65) states that a bhikkhunī should not lie down in the same sleeping place with a woman (mātugāma). The specific content of this discourse has not been fully translated in the descriptive information; however, according to the general principles of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, such restrictions are established on the basis of specific events that occurred in the monastic community.
Usually, when a regulation was issued, the Buddha had witnessed or received a report of a situation in which lack of care led to unwanted consequences. In this case, lying down together could create difficulties related to the trust of the community, or disturbances in the mind leading to the decline of concentration and wisdom (paññā).
This regulation applies to bhikkhunīs, female monastics, and includes even unofficial or accidental cases of lying together. Observing these rules is regarded as an expression of commitment to the pure holy life (brahmacariya mārga), one of the basic characteristics of Buddhist practice.
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