The Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, when a brahmin living in Śrāvastī took a wife of equal caste and together they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another. The wife with whom he had played, taken pleasure, and amused himself soon conceived a child. After eight or nine months, a paṇḍaka child was born who, though resembling a boy, was neither female nor male. Still, they nurtured and raised the child until it grew up.
EN
While the child was playing with a group of children, he showed them his sex organs, at which point they asked him, “What are you?”
EN
He replied, “I’m a person labeled a paṇḍaka.”
EN
“You’re a brahmin,” they said. “It’s not right to bring ill repute upon your family, so do not behave like this.”
EN
They said to his parents, “You must stop this person labeled a paṇḍaka of yours from behaving like this.”
EN
His parents then said to him, “Person labeled a paṇḍaka, we are brahmins. It is not right to bring ill repute upon our family. Do not behave so.”
EN
Though this put a stop to that, the person labeled a paṇḍaka did not linger. He went to Jetavana and, after some time, he saw a group of young monks and thought, “If I were to go forth, they could play the role of a male for me while I could play the role of a female for them.”
EN
He then approached a monk and said, “Noble one, I want to go forth.”
EN
“Have your parents given you their permission?” asked the monk.
EN
“They have not.”
EN
“Go and ask your parents.”
EN
He went to his parents and said, “Father, Mother, I want to go forth.”
EN
Depressed, the two of them thought, “His going forth will require our parting with him.” Then they said to him, “Person labeled a paṇḍaka, we give you our permission.”
EN
He went to the monk and said, “Noble one, my parents have given me permission, so please allow my going forth.”
EN
After his going forth was allowed and he was granted ordination, he exposed his sex organs in the presence of monks, whereupon they asked him, “What are you? A person labeled a paṇḍaka?”
EN
When he acknowledged that he was, the monks appealed to the Blessed One, and the Blessed One said to the monks, “A person labeled a paṇḍaka will not take root in this Dharma and Vinaya; therefore, you must banish people labeled paṇḍakas from this Dharma and Vinaya. If someone wishing to go forth approaches any of you, ask him, ‘You are not a person labeled a paṇḍaka, are you?’ If you allow going forth without asking this, a breach occurs.”
EN
“Monks, there are five kinds of persons labeled paṇḍakas. What are they? They are intersex persons, rhythmic-consecutive persons, sexually submissive persons, persons with a voyeuristic fetish, and persons with a sexual disability. What is a intersex person? One who is born neither a female nor a male. What is a rhythmic-consecutive person? Someone who is female for half the month yet becomes male during the other half. What is a sexually submissive person? One who becomes erect if embraced by another. What is a person with a voyeuristic fetish? One who becomes erect at the sight of others’ exertion. What is a person with a sexual disability? A person whose sexual organs have been disabled by disease, or removed with some instrument.
EN
“If the first four types of persons labeled paṇḍakas—intersex persons, rhythmic-consecutive person, sexually submissive persons, and persons with a voyeuristic fetish—have not gone forth, you should not allow their going forth. If they have gone forth, they should be banished. As for a person with a sexual disability, if they have not gone forth, you should not allow their going forth. If they have gone forth, they should be left as they are, provided they do not show an inclination to change. If they show an inclination to change, they should be banished.”
The Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, when a brahmin living in Śrāvastī took a wife of equal caste and together they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another. The wife with whom he had played, taken pleasure, and amused himself soon conceived a child. After eight or nine months, a paṇḍaka child was born who, though resembling a boy, was neither female nor male. Still, they nurtured and raised the child until it grew up.
EN
While the child was playing with a group of children, he showed them his sex organs, at which point they asked him, “What are you?”
EN
He replied, “I’m a person labeled a paṇḍaka.”
EN
“You’re a brahmin,” they said. “It’s not right to bring ill repute upon your family, so do not behave like this.”
EN
They said to his parents, “You must stop this person labeled a paṇḍaka of yours from behaving like this.”
EN
His parents then said to him, “Person labeled a paṇḍaka, we are brahmins. It is not right to bring ill repute upon our family. Do not behave so.”
EN
Though this put a stop to that, the person labeled a paṇḍaka did not linger. He went to Jetavana and, after some time, he saw a group of young monks and thought, “If I were to go forth, they could play the role of a male for me while I could play the role of a female for them.”
EN
He then approached a monk and said, “Noble one, I want to go forth.”
EN
“Have your parents given you their permission?” asked the monk.
EN
“They have not.”
EN
“Go and ask your parents.”
EN
He went to his parents and said, “Father, Mother, I want to go forth.”
EN
Depressed, the two of them thought, “His going forth will require our parting with him.” Then they said to him, “Person labeled a paṇḍaka, we give you our permission.”
EN
He went to the monk and said, “Noble one, my parents have given me permission, so please allow my going forth.”
EN
After his going forth was allowed and he was granted ordination, he exposed his sex organs in the presence of monks, whereupon they asked him, “What are you? A person labeled a paṇḍaka?”
EN
When he acknowledged that he was, the monks appealed to the Blessed One, and the Blessed One said to the monks, “A person labeled a paṇḍaka will not take root in this Dharma and Vinaya; therefore, you must banish people labeled paṇḍakas from this Dharma and Vinaya. If someone wishing to go forth approaches any of you, ask him, ‘You are not a person labeled a paṇḍaka, are you?’ If you allow going forth without asking this, a breach occurs.”
EN
“Monks, there are five kinds of persons labeled paṇḍakas. What are they? They are intersex persons, rhythmic-consecutive persons, sexually submissive persons, persons with a voyeuristic fetish, and persons with a sexual disability. What is a intersex person? One who is born neither a female nor a male. What is a rhythmic-consecutive person? Someone who is female for half the month yet becomes male during the other half. What is a sexually submissive person? One who becomes erect if embraced by another. What is a person with a voyeuristic fetish? One who becomes erect at the sight of others’ exertion. What is a person with a sexual disability? A person whose sexual organs have been disabled by disease, or removed with some instrument.
EN
“If the first four types of persons labeled paṇḍakas—intersex persons, rhythmic-consecutive person, sexually submissive persons, and persons with a voyeuristic fetish—have not gone forth, you should not allow their going forth. If they have gone forth, they should be banished. As for a person with a sexual disability, if they have not gone forth, you should not allow their going forth. If they have gone forth, they should be left as they are, provided they do not show an inclination to change. If they show an inclination to change, they should be banished.”
Sutraya