San Lo Bi Pn 20Pleasuring Oneself With a Stream of Water

DISCOURSE ON TAKING PLEASURE FROM A STREAM OF WATER

Explanation of San Lo Bi Pn 20

Background

This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the rules that monastics must observe. It reflects specific situations in the daily lives of bhikkhus, male monastics, when the teaching had just begun to spread. The Buddha and the Sangha built principles of action to protect the purity of the teaching and help monastics not be drawn in by small temptations from the world. This discourse is directly related to the issue of restraining the senses and protecting mindfulness in practice.

Main Content

The discourse speaks of the conduct of a bhikkhu who enjoys pleasurable sensation from a stream of water (udaka-srota). Although water should be used for bodily hygiene according to practical need, if a practitioner deliberately prolongs or actively creates such an act solely to enjoy sensual pleasure (kāma-sukha), then that is a mistaken action. In the Vinaya Piṭaka, such conduct is considered a violation of the Pātimokkha, one of the basic rules of the Sangha.

This teaching is based on a core principle of the Buddha Dharma: all sensual actions are a place where suffering (dukkha) arises. Temporary pleasure from the senses is not the goal of practice. Indeed, even small material pleasures can become a doorway leading to slackening of mindfulness, causing the practitioner to deviate from the path of liberation. The Buddha taught that monastics should not seek sensual pleasures, because they are bondage (saṁyojana), not freedom.

Practical Meaning

This discourse is not a condemnation of using water in ordinary life. The key point is awareness and motivation. A bhikkhu may wash the body normally to maintain hygiene, but should not deliberately create or prolong sensual sensation. The boundary between “reasonable need” and “sensual craving” is subtle but very important in practice.