Upp Pj 1Sexual Intercourse
Pāli / Sanskrit:Methunadhamma
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Explanation of the Methunadhamma Discourse (Sexual Intercourse)
Background
The Methunadhamma discourse (Sexual Intercourse) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Uppajjhatthakathā section of the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, in the Theravāda Buddha-Dharma tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of rules and training instructions promulgated by the Buddha for the community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. These regulations aim to protect purity, protect the community of practice, and remove conduct harmful to spiritual development.
This discourse appears in the context of the Buddha establishing concrete ethical foundations for those gone forth. The rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka were not given suddenly, but were often direct responses to specific situations encountered by the Buddha and his disciples. Methunadhamma, sexual intercourse with a woman, is regarded as a direct violation of the vows of purity of monastics.
Main Content
In the Theravāda Vinaya tradition, Methunadhamma is defined as any sexual activity involving a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī. This is regarded as one of the most serious violations of early Buddhist law, belonging to the class of Pārājika offenses, or other extremely grave offenses.
The discourse explains that this conduct violates one of the most basic principles of the ethics of practice: brahmacharya, the pure life. Brahmacharya is not merely bodily restraint, but the complete governance of the faculties (indriya), the senses, and the mind. By abandoning sexual desires, a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī creates the conditions for the mind to turn toward liberation (nirvana).
The content of the discourse also makes clear that regardless of circumstance or motive, whether accidental or intentional, sexual intercourse is not permitted. The Vinaya Piṭaka accepts no exceptions in this matter, because brahmacharya is the uncompromisable foundation of the life of practice.
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