Item 3 in Five Buddhist Precepts

Refrain from Sexual Misconduct

Undertake to avoid sexual conduct involving harm, exploitation, betrayal or absence of meaningful consent.

Position
3
Form
Prohibition
Obligation
Strong duty
Wording status
Editorial paraphrase
Intended audience
Lay Buddhist practitioners
Last reviewed
28 June 2026

Names and terminology

Canonical name: Refrain from Sexual Misconduct

Original term: Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī

Source wording

Editorial paraphrase: Undertake to avoid sexual conduct involving harm, exploitation, betrayal or absence of meaningful consent.

Editorial paraphrase

Literal meaning

Undertake to avoid sexual conduct involving harm, exploitation, betrayal or absence of meaningful consent.

Broader interpretation

Interpretation depends on the framework's historical purpose, intended audience and relationship to its other principles.

Ethical purpose

To shape conduct or character in a way consistent with the wider ethical framework.

Modern application

Modern application requires attention to consent, rights, evidence, foreseeable harm and changing social conditions.

Criticism and difficult cases

Application can become difficult when this principle conflicts with another duty, when harm is indirect, or when ancient social assumptions do not fit modern conditions.

Truth By Reason analysis

Truth By Reason assesses this principle according to evidence, rights, intentions, foreseeable consequences and consistency with the treatment of all affected beings.

Ethical themes

  • Sexual conduct
  • Human dignity
  • Self-control

Sources