BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1"'So it is with any brahman or contemplative who lives withdrawn from sensualityonly in body, but whose desire, infatuation, urge, thirst, and fever for sensuality isnot relinquished and stilled within him: Whether or not he feels painful, racking,piercing feelings due to his striving (for Awakening), he is incapable of knowledge,vision, and unexcelled self-awakening.'" — MN 36Non-offenses. In addition to the cases already mentioned — the bhikkhus who bringabout emissions accidentally, not knowing that they are making an effort, notconscious that their efforts are bringing about an emission, whose efforts aremotivated by a purpose other than that of causing an emission, or who withoutmaking any physical effort have an ejaculation while overcome by sensual thoughts— there is no offense for a bhikkhu who has an ejaculation while dreaming.The Commentary notes that some interpreters had taken the idiomatic term in therule translated as, "while dreaming (supinantā)," and read it as a compoundmeaning literally "at the end of a dream (supin'antā)," thus opening an allowance forintentional effort and emission when awakening from a soon-to-be-wet dream.However, the Commentary goes on to rule out this overly literal interpretation,stating that what happens in the mind while one is sleeping falls in the bounds ofthe Abhidhamma, but what happens after one awakens falls within the bounds ofthe Vinaya; and that there is no such thing as a misdeed performed when one is in a"non-negligible" state of mind that does not count as an offense. (Non-negligible,according to the Sub-commentary, means "normal.")In making the exception for what happens while asleep, the Buddha states that eventhough there may be the intention to cause an emission, it doesn't count. TheCommentary goes on to say, however, that if a bhikkhu fully awakens in the courseof a wet dream, he should lie still and be extremely careful not to make a move thatwould fulfill the factor of effort under this rule. If the process has reached the pointwhere it is irreversible and the ejaculation occurs spontaneously, he incurs nopenalty regardless of whether he enjoys it. And as the Commentary quotes from theKurundī, one of the ancient Sinhalese commentaries on which it is based, if hewakes up in the course of a wet dream and grabs hold of his penis to prevent theejaculation from soiling his robes or bedding, there is no offense.However, the Commentary's two cases concerning nocturnal emissions, mentionedabove, indicate that if a nocturnal emission occurs after a bhikkhu made a fullyintentional effort toward an emission before falling asleep, he would incur the fulloffense under this rule unless the effort and intent were clearly stopped with a clearchange of heart while he was still awake. This is because all three factors under thisrule would be fully present: a conscious, unhesitating decision to cause anemission; a conscious effort based on that decision; and the resulting emission.Whether or not one was conscious while it occurred is of no account.Summary: Intentionally causing oneself to emit semen, or getting someone else tocause one to emit semen — except during a dream — is a saṅghādisesa offense.84