5.
The Discourse on Mother and Son
55.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.
Now at that time in Sāvatthī both a mother and son entered the rains residence -
a monk and a nun.
They wished to see each other repeatedly.
The mother wished to see her son repeatedly;
the son too wished to see his mother repeatedly.
From their repeated seeing, bonding arose.
When there was bonding, intimacy arose.
When there was intimacy, an opportunity arose.
They, with minds overcome by lust, without rejecting the training, without declaring their weakness, engaged in sexual intercourse.
Then several monks approached the Blessed One; having approached, they paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, those monks said this to the Blessed One - "Here, venerable sir, in Sāvatthī both a mother and son entered the rains residence - a monk and a nun. They wished to see each other repeatedly. The mother wished to see her son repeatedly; the son too wished to see his mother repeatedly. From their repeated seeing, bonding arose; when there was bonding, intimacy arose; when there was intimacy, an opportunity arose. They, with minds overcome by lust, without rejecting the training, without declaring their weakness, engaged in sexual intercourse."
"What indeed does that foolish man imagine, monks - 'A mother is not attached to her son, or a son to his mother'? I do not, monks, perceive any other single form so enticing, so desirable, so intoxicating, so binding, so infatuating, so obstructive to the achievement of the unsurpassed freedom from bondage as this, monks, a woman's form. Beings are lustful, greedy, bound, infatuated, and attached to a woman's form, monks. They grieve for a long time, subject to the control of a woman's form.
"I do not, monks, perceive any other single sound etc. any single odour etc. any single flavour etc. I perceive any single tangible object so enticing, so desirable, so intoxicating, so binding, so infatuating, so obstructive to the achievement of the unsurpassed freedom from bondage as this, monks, a woman's touch. Beings are lustful, greedy, bound, infatuated, and attached to a woman's touch, monks. They grieve for a long time, subject to the control of a woman's touch.
"A woman, monks, even when walking, obsesses a man's mind; even when standing etc. even when sitting etc. even when lying down etc. even when laughing etc. even when speaking etc. even when singing etc. even when crying etc. even when bloated etc. even when dead, obsesses a man's mind. If anyone, monks, speaking rightly would say - 'Māra's snare all around' - speaking rightly one would say this of womankind - 'Māra's snare all around.'"
One may approach even a venomous snake, by which one bitten does not live.
They bind the unmindful one, with a glance and with a smile.
This person is not easy to approach, even when bloated or dead.
Forms, sounds, flavours, odours, and delightful tangible objects.
Time, destination, and existence after existence, in the round of rebirths they are led.
They indeed have gone beyond in the world, those who have attained the elimination of mental corruptions." The fifth.