San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Pc 65Lying Down With a Woman

The Sutta on Lying Down With a Woman (Mātugāmasahaseyya)

Background

This text is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically within the Pātimokkha (the code of rules) for bhikkhus (monks). It is not a sutta in the sense of a discourse on meditation or the law of cause and effect, but rather one of the rules of ethical conduct pertaining to the circumspection of bhikkhus in their daily lives.

According to the Theravāda tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled on the basis of specific events in the life of Śākyamuni Buddha and the early monastic community. Each rule came into being as a result of bhikkhus transgressing principles of ethical conduct, whereupon the Buddha would give a teaching to correct and prevent such errors. The text concerning "lying down with a woman" (Mātugāmasahaseyya) belongs to the category of regulations governing the ethical conduct of bhikkhus.

Main Content

This rule is intended to prohibit bhikkhus from lying on the same bed or on the same sleeping place as a woman. This is stated clearly: "The rule—whenever a bhikkhu lies on the same bed or on the same resting place as a woman, that constitutes a Pācittiya (an offense requiring confession)."

Pācittiya (Pāli) is one of the categories of offense within the Pātimokkha, situated at a middling level in relation to other transgressions. Should a bhikkhu violate this rule, he must confess the offense before other bhikkhus during the Uposatha recitation (the ceremonial recitation of the Vinaya), and such confession functions to purify the transgression from the mind.

This regulation does not prohibit bhikkhus from engaging in wholesome interaction with women or from instructing them in the Buddha-Dhamma. Rather, it is intended to protect the purity of bhikkhus, to minimize risks related to sensuality, and to guard those who are especially in need of such vigilance. It is also a means by which bhikkhus may avoid unnecessary suspicion or resentment arising from the local community.