[301] At that time the Buddha, the Blessed One, was dwelling at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, the monastery of Anāthapiṇḍika. Now at that time the Venerable Seyyasaka was living the holy life discontented. Because of that he became thin, wretched, of bad complexion, his skin turning yellowish, his body covered over with veins. The Venerable Udāyi saw the Venerable Seyyasaka—thin, wretched, of bad complexion, his skin turning yellowish, his body covered over with veins—and having seen him, he said to the Venerable Seyyasaka: "Why, friend Seyyasaka, are you thin, wretched, of bad complexion, your skin turning yellowish, your body covered over with veins? Can it be, friend Seyyasaka, that you are living the holy life discontented?"
"It is so, friend."
"Then, friend Seyyasaka, eat as much as you wish, sleep as much as you wish, bathe as much as you wish; and having eaten as much as you wish, slept as much as you wish, and bathed as much as you wish, whenever discontent arises in you and lust assails your mind (citta), then emit the impurity by exerting with your hand."
"But is it allowable, friend, to do such a thing?"
"Yes, friend; I too do such a thing."
Then the Venerable Seyyasaka ate as much as he wished, slept as much as he wished, bathed as much as he wished; and having eaten as much as he wished, slept as much as he wished, and bathed as much as he wished, whenever discontent arose and lust assailed his mind, he emitted the impurity by exerting with his hand. Then after some time the Venerable Seyyasaka became of good complexion, with plump faculties, with a bright countenance, with clear skin. Then the bhikkhus who were companions of the Venerable Seyyasaka said to the Venerable Seyyasaka: "Formerly, friend Seyyasaka, you were thin, wretched, of bad complexion, your skin turning yellowish, your body covered over with veins; but now at present you are of good complexion, with plump faculties, with a bright countenance, with clear skin. Can it be, friend Seyyasaka, that you are taking medicine?"
"No, friends, I am not taking medicine. But I eat as much as I wish, sleep as much as I wish, bathe as much as I wish; and having eaten as much as I wish, slept as much as I wish, and bathed as much as I wish, whenever discontent arises in me and lust assails my mind, then I emit the impurity by exerting with my hand."
"But, friend Seyyasaka, do you emit the impurity by exerting with the very hand with which you eat what is given in faith?"
"It is so, friends."
Those bhikkhus who were of few wishes … they criticized, denounced, and spread it about: "How can the Venerable Seyyasaka emit the impurity by exerting with his hand?" Then those bhikkhus, having rebuked the Venerable Seyyasaka in many ways, reported this matter to the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One, on that ground, on that occasion, having had the Saṅgha of bhikkhus convened, questioned the Venerable Seyyasaka: "Is it true, Seyyasaka, as they say, that you emitted the impurity by exerting with your hand?"
"It is true, Blessed One."
The Buddha, the Blessed One, rebuked him: "Foolish man, it is not fitting, not becoming, not proper, not worthy of an ascetic, not allowable, not to be done. How can you, foolish man, emit the impurity by exerting with your hand? Foolish man, has not the Dhamma been taught by me in many ways for dispassion, not for passion; has not the Dhamma been taught for detachment, not for attachment; has not the Dhamma been taught for non-clinging, not for clinging? And yet here, foolish man, while the Dhamma has been taught by me for dispassion, you will intend toward passion; while the Dhamma has been taught for detachment, you will intend toward attachment; while the Dhamma has been taught for non-clinging, you will intend toward clinging. Foolish man, has not the Dhamma been taught by me in many ways for the fading away of lust; has not the Dhamma been taught for the sobering of intoxication, for the dispelling of thirst, for the uprooting of attachment, for the cutting off of the round, for the destruction of craving (taṇhā), for dispassion, for cessation, for Nibbāna? Foolish man, has not the abandoning of sensual pleasures been declared by me in many ways; has not the full understanding of sensual perceptions been declared, the dispelling of sensual thirsts been declared, the uprooting of sensual thoughts been declared, the stilling of sensual fevers been declared? This, foolish man, is neither for the confidence of those without confidence nor for the increase of those with confidence; rather, foolish man, it is for the lack of confidence of those without confidence and for the wavering of some who have confidence."
Then the Blessed One, having rebuked the Venerable Seyyasaka in many ways, having spoken in dispraise of being difficult to support, difficult to maintain … "And thus, bhikkhus, you should recite this training rule: 'Intentional emission of semen is a saṅghādisesa.'"
And thus this training rule came to be laid down by the Blessed One for the bhikkhus.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.