Religious Research

Religious Research

Wrong Sexual Pleasure from the Perspective of Buddhist Ethics and Jurisprudence (Vinaya)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Shahabodin Vahidi Mehrjerdi 1
Alireza Shoja'i 2
1 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology, Meybod University, Meybod, Iran
2 Instructor and Faculty Member, Department of Eastern Religions, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.22034/jrr.2024.356383.2059
Abstract
The precepts of restraint from wrong sexual pleasure are among the important ethical and jurisprudential (Vinaya) rules in Buddhism, specifically for non-renunciates [non-wayfarers] or the Buddhist laity. This is because any form of sexual pleasure is considered wrong for renunciates (monastics), as celibacy is a condition for following the Buddhist path. Celibacy does not merely mean not marrying, but signifies abstaining from any form of sexual pleasure. Restraint from "wrong sexual pleasure," which was initially defined solely as the prohibition of intercourse with "forbidden women," gradually expanded to include prohibitions against approaching the wrong orifice, the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong partner, and so on. This inquiry examines the factors behind the shift of "wrong sexual pleasure" from a simple prohibitive rule to a multitude of increasingly complex and restrictive regulations. Using a descriptive-analytical method, this research seeks to answer the question of why the rules concerning wrong sexual pleasure for non-renunciates became stricter. It will show that the reason for the tightening of rules for the laity was that Buddhist renunciates applied the same rules meant for themselves to the non-renunciates, primarily because the Buddha had not initially established specific and separate rules for the laity.
Keywords
wrong sexual pleasure, more restrictive rules, celibacy, the four prohibited intercourses, forbidden women
Subjects
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Religious Research
Volume 13, Issue 25 - Serial Number 25
November 2025
Pages 295-328