A question received in relation to our examination of the Four Nutriments and Going the Four Wrong Ways:
“My son is addicted to sex and regularly watches porn. What is the Buddha’s advice for lay people when it comes to porn and sex? Monks and nuns are celibate as they have the Vinaya rules, but for lay people it’s clearly different as we have relationships and families. The precept we take is to refrain from sexual misconduct. Does the Buddha discourage lay people from indulging in porn and sex, and if so why?”
The key to answering this question is about CORRECTING OUR MISAPPREHENSION OF THE BODY (Physical Nutriment) - at the view level, thoughts and perceptions.
To answer the question we:
— examine the importance of seeing the body (physical nutriment) correctly through correcting the perversion or corruption in the mind of attractive in the unattractive
— examine the Greed Path insight pathway that takes an agreeable object and results in painfulness in change (a copy of this is published and pinned to the Sutta Meditation Series Telegram channel)
— looks at what happens when we become addicted to porn, sex and anything sex-related
— highlight the importance of moral shame and sense restraint
— link to the insight path in the Karaniyametta Sutta
— take a look at celibacy vs non-celibacy and the Buddha's words
— confirm our understanding of sexual misconduct as a precept
— look at the benefits of when we have right view and virtue.
Some of the suttas that are directly or indirectly referred to:
— Āhāra Sutta (SN 12.11)
— Saṅgīti Sutta (DN 33)
— Suttavebhaṅgiya (Pe 9)
— Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10)
— Gaṇḍasutta (AN 9.15)
— Vijaya Sutta (Snp 1.11)
— Vipallāsa Sutta (AN 4.49)
— Suttatthasamuccayabhūmi (Pe 6)
— Ādittapariyāya Sutta (SN 35.28)
— Māgaṇḍiya Sutta (Snp 4.9)
— Tayodhamma Sutta (AN 10.76)
— Saṁvara Sutta (SN 35.98)
— Janapadakalyāṇī Sutta (SN 47.20)
— Iṭṭhadhamma Sutta (AN 10.73)
— Channa Sutta (AN 3.71)
— Karaṇīyametta Sutta (SN 35.28)
— Saṁkhittūposatha Sutta (AN 8.41)
— Tissametteyya Sutta (Snp 4.7)
— Nakulapitu Sutta (AN 6.16)
— Paṭhamasañcetanika Sutta (AN 10.217)
— Kāmesumicchācāra Sutta (SN 56.73)
— Duccaritavipāka Sutta (AN 8.40)
— Kimatthiya Sutta (AN 11.1)
Bohoma pin to the person that asked this question.
A copy of the GREED PATH insight pathway is published and pinned to the Sutta Meditation Series Telegram channel.
The AUDIO has been uploaded to the Sutta Meditation Series podcast channel hosted at
anchor.fm/suttameditationseries. It can also be accessed on multiple podcast platforms including Spotify, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and more.
Blessings of the Triple Gem. Theruwan saranai.
Category :
ALLONE
#porn#sex#addiction#greed#path#dhamma#q#amp#a
