Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

The third precept has two different versions in the Pāli language, depending on who is practicing it. For a householder (sāvaka), the precept is expressed as kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇī. However, for those who have left the household life to become monks and members of the Saṅgha, it is expressed as abrahmacariyā veramaṇī.

Whenever a householder undergoes training, he is required to follow the five precepts as a necessary foundation for maintaining a healthy livelihood.¹ The third precept:

‘refraining from misconduct in sensual pleasures’

‘kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇī-sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi’

plays a fundamental role in achieving a healthy equilibrium of mental calm. Maintaining this precept reassures confidence, trust and faithfulness towards a chosen partner and supports contentedness within this relationship. A meditator participating in a regular meditation course is therefore challenged to follow this directive strictly not only during the course, but ideally as an exemplary sāvaka during his day to day life as well.

The commentary highlights the meaning:²

Kāmesumicchācāroti ettha pana kāmesūti methunasamācāresu.³ Micchācāroti ekantanindito lāmakācāro⁴. Lakkhaṇato pana asaddhammādhippāyena⁵ kāyadvārappavattā agamanīyaṭṭhānavītikkamacetanā⁶ kāmesumicchācāro.

‘Misconduct in sensual pleasures’ here means: ‘in sensual pleasures’ in regard to indulging in sexual intercourse. ‘Misconduct’ is entirely blameworthy vile conduct. Its characteristic: sexual misconduct is the volition to transgress restriction manifesting itself through the body door by way of unrighteous desire.

The explanation of the meaning of agamanīyaṭṭhānaṃ nāma – ‘going beyond the limits’ or ‘transgressing restraints’ if related to men – refers to married or already engaged women.⁷ Here the commentary points to two groups of women, those under protection (a) and those bought with money (b), divided into ten each:

(a): Tattha agamanīyaṭṭhānaṃ nāma purisānaṃ tāva māturakkhitā, piturakkhitā, mātāpiturakkhitā, bhāturakkhitā, bhaginirakkhitā, ñātirakkhitā, gottarakkhitā, dhammarakkhitā, sārakkhā, saparidaṇḍāti⁸ māturakkhitādayo dasa; …

Herein ‘transgressing restraints’ for men relates to: the set of ten starting with ‘women being protected by mother’ etc., namely: ‘protected by mother; protected by father; protected by mother and father, protected by the brother, protected by the sister, protected by relatives, protected by the clan, protected by the law, under protection, liable to penalty’ …

(b): … dhanakkītā,⁹ chandavāsinī, bhogavāsinī, paṭavāsinī, odapattakinī,¹⁰ obhaṭacumbaṭā,¹¹ dāsī ca bhariyā ca, kammakārī ca bhariyā ca, dhajāhatā,¹² muhuttikāti¹³ etā ca dhanakkītādayo dasāti vīsati itthiyo.

… and the set of ten starting with those ‘bought for money’ etc., namely: ‘bought for money, one who stays (with a man) by her own desire, one who stays (with a man) on account of wealth, one who stays (with a man) on account of clothing, one who has the quality providing the house with water, one who has been taken off her habit of carrying water vessels on her head, one who is a slave and a wife, one who is a servant and a wife, one who is taken by violence, one who is used as temporary woman’ – these are the twenty kinds of women.

The explanation of ‘going beyond the limits’ for women – agamanīyaṭṭhānaṃ nāma or ‘transgressing restraints’ – first refers to those women that are under protection or liable to penalty. Secondly it refers to the last set of ten quoted above – bought for money etc.

Itthīsu pana dvinnaṃ sārakkhāsaparidaṇḍānaṃ, dasannañca dhanakkītādīnanti dvādasannaṃ itthīnaṃ aññe purisā, idaṃ agamanīyaṭṭhānaṃ nāma.

Likewise married and engaged men are out of bounds for all women.

Engaging in sexual misconduct is more blamable depending on the higher the ethical standards of the respective other person is and vice versa:

So panesa micchācāro sīlādiguṇarahite¹⁴ agamanīyaṭṭhāne appasāvajjo, sīlādiguṇasampanne¹⁵ mahāsāvajjo.

This sexual misconduct is less blamable if the person off limits lacks moral qualities of sīla and more blamable if the person is endowed with moral qualities of sīla.

For sexual misconduct to be accomplished, the following four constituents have to be fulfilled:

Tassa cattāro sambhārā agamanīyavatthu, tasmiṃ sevanacittaṃ, sevanapayogo, maggenamaggappaṭipattiadhivāsananti.¹⁶

A person (object) off limits, the mind to engage and the effort to engage, and consent to the actual union of sexual organs.

Bhikkhus and meditators undergoing a more serious meditation course of 20, 30 days or more are expected to take upon themselves the serious vow of ‘abrahmacariyā veramaṇī-sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi’! The difference is explained thus:

Abrahmacariyanti aseṭṭhacariyaṃ, dvayaṃdvayasamāpattimethunappaṭisevanā¹⁷ kāyadvārappavattā asaddhammappaṭisevanaṭṭhānavītikkamacetanā¹⁸ abrahmacariyaṃ.¹⁹

‘Leading not the holy life’ (abrahmacariyaṃ) means to maintain not the highest conduct. ‘Leading not the holy life’ means intention to transgress into unrighteous practice not in accordance which occurs through the body door by engaging in actual copulation.²⁰

Methuna is the terminology for sexual intercourse. While sexual relations with one dedicated partner is legitimate for a householder, for someone who has left the householder life and has decided to lead the life of a brahmacariya, any sexual involvement, not only in deed or words, but also in thought, is taboo. Thus the quoted selection of the Methunasutta shows how for those who have left the household life, even mental wishful thinking can erupt into verbal or physical actions. This is highlighted by a later treatise,²¹ which defines sensual pleasure in the following way:

…tattha katame kāmā? Chando kāmo, rāgo kāmo, chandarāgo kāmo, saṅkappo kāmo, rāgo kāmo, saṅkapparāgo kāmo – ime vuccanti ‘‘kāmā’’.

Here now what are sensual pleasures? Wishing is sensual pleasure, lust is sensual pleasure, lustful wishing is sensual pleasure, thinking is sensual pleasure, lust is sensual pleasure, lustful thinking is sensual pleasure.

Even for lay followers, this sutta may be an inspiration to appreciate and detect the thorough mental impact of this dominating impurity in one’s daily life!