7.
The Discourse on Sensual Pleasure
7.
"Mostly, monks, beings are delighted in sensual pleasures.
When a son of good family, monks, having left behind sickle and carrying-pole, has gone forth from home into homelessness, it is fitting to say 'a son of good family gone forth through faith'.
What is the reason for this?
Sensual pleasures, monks, are obtainable through youth, and those of whatever kind or such kind.
And whatever, monks, are inferior sensual pleasures, whatever are middling sensual pleasures, whatever are superior sensual pleasures, all sensual pleasures go by the term 'sensual pleasures'.
Just as, monks, a young boy, dull, an infant lying on his back, through the nurse's negligence, might put a stick or a potsherd in his mouth.
The nurse should very quickly attend to him;
having very quickly attended, she should very quickly remove it.
If she could not very quickly remove it, having grasped his head with her left hand, having made a crooked finger with her right hand, she should remove it even with blood.
What is the reason for this?
'There is this harming of the boy, monks;
I do not say it does not exist.'
And this is to be done, monks, by the nurse who desires his welfare, who seeks his benefit, who is compassionate, out of compassion.
But when, monks, that boy has grown up and is mature in wisdom, the nurse is now without concern for that boy, monks -
'The boy is now self-guarded, not fit for negligence.'
"So too, monks, as long as for a monk what is to be done by faith in wholesome mental states has not been done, what is to be done by shame in wholesome mental states has not been done, what is to be done by moral fear in wholesome mental states has not been done, what is to be done by energy in wholesome mental states has not been done, what is to be done by wisdom in wholesome mental states has not been done, that monk, monks, is to be protected by me for that long. But when, monks, for a monk what is to be done by faith in wholesome mental states has been done, what is to be done by shame in wholesome mental states has been done, what is to be done by moral fear in wholesome mental states has been done, what is to be done by energy in wholesome mental states has been done, what is to be done by wisdom in wholesome mental states has been done, I am now without concern for that monk, monks - 'The monk is now self-guarded, not fit for negligence.'" The seventh.