They rebuked Seyyasaka in many ways and then told the Buddha. The Buddha then had the Sangha gathered and questioned Seyyasaka: “Is it true, Seyyasaka, that you do this?” “Yes, sir.” The Buddha rebuked him, “Foolish man, it’s not suitable, it’s not proper, it’s not worthy of a monastic, it’s not allowable, it’s not to be done. How can you do this? Haven’t I given many teachings for the sake of dispassion, not for the sake of lust; for the sake of freedom from bondage, not for the sake of bondage; for the sake of non-grasping, not for the sake of grasping? When I’ve taught like this, how can you choose lust, bondage, and grasping? Haven’t I given many teachings for the fading away of lust, for the clearing away of intoxication, for the removal of thirst, for the uprooting of attachment, for the cutting off of the round of rebirth, for the stopping of craving, for fading away, for ending, for extinguishment? Haven’t I given many teachings for the abandoning of worldly pleasures, for the full understanding of the perceptions of worldly pleasures, for the removal of thirst for worldly pleasures, for the elimination of thoughts of worldly pleasures, for the stilling of the fevers of worldly pleasures? Foolish man, this will affect people’s confidence, and cause some to lose it.” Then, after rebuking Seyyasaka in many ways, the Buddha spoke in dispraise of being difficult to support … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Preliminary ruling ‘Intentional emission of semen is an offense entailing suspension.’”

In this way the Buddha laid down this training rule for the monks.

Second substory