Lzh Sarv Ba 51Sexual Intercourse

Exposition of the First Parajika Discourse: Violation of Celibacy

Background

The first parajika is the first prohibition in the Bhikkhu Patimokkha, the disciplinary code of the bhikkhu, found in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pali Canon. It is one of the four defeats called parajika, offenses that lead to the complete “defeat” or “failure” of the monastic life. This discourse was recorded to protect the purity of the Sangha community of bhikkhus, those who have renounced worldly life to pursue liberation.

According to the Theravada tradition, the disciplinary rules are not arbitrary impositions but natural principles leading to happiness and liberation. The Buddha taught that reliance on restraint was established on the basis of actions that had been shown to cause harm. The first parajika concerns the misuse of sexuality, one of the strongest forms of craving (tanha) that monastics must overcome.

Main Content

This prohibition states that any bhikkhu who, complete in body (paripunna kaya) and complete in mind (paripunna citta), engages in sexual intercourse, whether with a male or a female, whether by acting or by consenting, commits parajika, an offense that cannot be repaired.

Parajika literally means “defeat” or “failure.” A bhikkhu who violates this rule is no longer considered a member of the Sangha. He cannot continue living in the monastic community, no matter how much he may wish to or repent. This rule is not for punishment but for protection: protecting the purity of the monastery, protecting the faith of lay Buddhists, and most importantly, protecting the path of practice of that monastic himself.

In the Vinaya Pitaka, accompanying details clarify the rule: “complete in body” means that actual contact occurs; “complete in mind” means that the act is performed with clear intention, not by accident or under coercion.