June 9, 2024 at 3:37 pm
#50164
Keymaster
@Jittananto: Yes. Sotapannas are not Anagamis. A Sotapanna can engage in many akusala kamma, but not apayagami ones.
In my previous comment, I wrote: “Thus, engaging in sexual activities unacceptable to society is a “papa kamma” or the worst kind that can lead to rebirths in the apayas.”
- Per Jittananto’s comment, “King Bimbisāra was a sotāpanna, and he enjoyed the service of prostitutes.” I do not know the truth of that. If it is true, may be prostitution was acceptable to the society where the Buddha lived.
- In this case, it is a grey area. I cannot be certain about it. In general, it depends on one’s mental state when one engages in a sexual act outside the marriage. If society does not look down upon it, one may not generate strong javana citta for it to become an apayagami kamma.
- However, in most cases, societal norms do not come into play.
- Kamma and kamma vipaka are not fully discernible to our minds but only to the mind of a Buddha.
@Taryal: Buddha’s (nature’s) laws differ from mundane ones. As I have tried to explain, it is an entirely different worldview.
- You asked: “Why can’t 2 consenting adults have sex even if not married?”
- Of course, the Buddha did not prohibit anyone from doing anything. It is up to each person to decide how to live their lives. But it is bound to have kammic consequences whether one likes it or not. As I mentioned above, if it is normal in a given society, it may not become a strong kamma because one may not generate strong enough javana citta while engaging in that activity. In cases like this, we cannot be 100% certain.