Sutta Nipāta 4-7: Tissametteyyasutta

1. ‘Tell me, O venerable one,’—so said the venerable Tissa Metteyya,—‘the defeat of him who is given to sexual intercourse; hearing thy precepts we will learn in seclusion.’ (814)

2. ‘The precepts of him who is given to sexual intercourse, O Metteyya,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘are lost, and he employs himself wrongly, this is what is ignoble in him. (815)

3. ‘He who, having formerly wandered alone, gives himself up to sexual intercourse, him they call in the world a low, common fellow, like a rolling chariot. (816)

4. ‘What honour and renown he had before, that is lost for him; having seen this let him learn to give up sexual intercourse. (817)

5. ‘He who overcome by his thoughts meditates like a miser, such a one, having heard the (blaming) voice of others, becomes discontented. (818)

6. ‘Then he makes weapons (i.e. commits evil deeds) urged by the doctrines of others, he is very greedy, and sinks into falsehood. (819)

7. ‘Designated “wise” he has entered upon a solitary life, then having given himself up to sexual intercourse, he (being) a fool suffers pain. (820)

8. ‘Looking upon this as misery let the Muni from first to last in the world firmly keep to his solitary life, let him not give himself up to sexual intercourse. (821)

9. ‘Let him learn seclusion, this is the highest for noble men, but let him not therefore think himself the best, although he is verily near Nibbāna. (822)

10. ‘The Muni who wanders void (of desire), not coveting sensual pleasures, and who has crossed the stream, him the creatures that are tied in sensual pleasures envy.’ (823)

Tissametteyyasutta is ended.