Xct Mu Bi Pm Pj 1Sexual Intercourse

THE METHUNADHAMMA TEXT (The Act of Sexual Intercourse)

Background

The Pāli Canon is the oldest and most complete collection of Buddhist materials preserved. Within it, the Vinaya Piṭaka records the rules of practice and the governance of the religious community that Śākyamuni Buddha established for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.

This section, recorded under the title “Methunadhamma” (the act of sexual intercourse), appears in disciplinary texts concerning matters related to sexual conduct. It is not an independent sutta, but a disciplinary passage (dhamma) cited in examinations and explanations of the rules of restraint for those gone forth.

The background of this rule concerns the Buddha’s establishment of basic principles to protect the purity of those studying the Buddha’s teaching, especially those who have gone forth to pursue the path of liberation. These rules were carefully recorded to guide practitioners away from actions that cause suffering for themselves and others.

Main Content

Methunadhamma concerns all matters related to sexual intercourse. According to the early Theravāda tradition, the Dharma regards intercourse as an action that produces results (kamma) on the path of practice. For those gone forth who have vowed to preserve celibacy (brahmacariya), any act of sexual intercourse violates that sacred vow.

The Vinaya Piṭaka states clearly that any bhikkhu who engages in sexual intercourse, with anyone and under any circumstance, commits a Pārājika, the first and gravest offense. This offense cannot be restored or purified through ordinary rites of confession. The offender is expelled from the Sangha and completely loses the status of a bhikkhu.

The rule also extends to acts approaching intercourse or words of a sexually suggestive nature. The purpose of this regulation is very clear: to protect those gone forth from temptations and their results, while maintaining the respect for the Sangha in the eyes of lay society.