UMIRINBRAH?
In The Bleak Midwinter
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YES, THIS IS A COPY PASTE FROM THE RESOURCES I READ
Lay Buddhists are not expected to be celibate like most Buddhist monastics, so the third precept is not a total ban on sex. It does, however, explicitly forbid adultery, rape, or sex with someone who is engaged to another, imprisoned, or ordained.
Some later Buddhist texts outlined with precision several activities that constitute sexual misconduct, including having anal or oral sex and exceeding the maximum number of orgasms allowed per night (five). In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in particular, the understanding of homosexual sex as a violation has caused friction with Western practitioners who take issue with this view. In recent years, Buddhist teachers have generally tended to understand such strictures as cultural more than canonical.
Buddhism does not hold a particular view on marriage or monogamy, although there are teachers who stress the importance of monogamous commitment in the context of the third precept. (Polygamy, concubines, and courtesans—fixtures of the Buddha’s time—have little relevance to practitioners today.) Contraception and family planning are not forbidden by the third precept.
Practitioners often ask what Buddhism has to say about pornography, prostitution, kinky practices, and other sex-related topics. The third precept does not offer a comprehensive answer, but since the precepts are meant to be taken as a whole, sexual misconduct is often defined in relation to other ethical guidelines. Are your sexual choices deceitful (fourth precept)? Do they involve taking that which has not been given to you (second)? Do you have a sex or porn addiction (fifth)? Are your sexual relationships causing harm to yourself or others, or are they a source of harmony and goodwill (first)?
Lay Buddhists are not expected to be celibate like most Buddhist monastics, so the third precept is not a total ban on sex. It does, however, explicitly forbid adultery, rape, or sex with someone who is engaged to another, imprisoned, or ordained.
Some later Buddhist texts outlined with precision several activities that constitute sexual misconduct, including having anal or oral sex and exceeding the maximum number of orgasms allowed per night (five). In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in particular, the understanding of homosexual sex as a violation has caused friction with Western practitioners who take issue with this view. In recent years, Buddhist teachers have generally tended to understand such strictures as cultural more than canonical.
Buddhism does not hold a particular view on marriage or monogamy, although there are teachers who stress the importance of monogamous commitment in the context of the third precept. (Polygamy, concubines, and courtesans—fixtures of the Buddha’s time—have little relevance to practitioners today.) Contraception and family planning are not forbidden by the third precept.
Practitioners often ask what Buddhism has to say about pornography, prostitution, kinky practices, and other sex-related topics. The third precept does not offer a comprehensive answer, but since the precepts are meant to be taken as a whole, sexual misconduct is often defined in relation to other ethical guidelines. Are your sexual choices deceitful (fourth precept)? Do they involve taking that which has not been given to you (second)? Do you have a sex or porn addiction (fifth)? Are your sexual relationships causing harm to yourself or others, or are they a source of harmony and goodwill (first)?
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