AN 1.1-10 · 1. Rūpādivagga
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!”
“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:
“Mendicants, I do not see a single sight that occupies a man’s mind like the sight of a woman. The sight of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single sound that occupies a man’s mind like the sound of a woman. The sound of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single smell that occupies a man’s mind like the smell of a woman. The smell of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single taste that occupies a man’s mind like the taste of a woman. The taste of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single touch that occupies a man’s mind like the touch of a woman. The touch of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single sight that occupies a woman’s mind like the sight of a man. The sight of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single sound that occupies a woman’s mind like the sound of a man. The sound of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single smell that occupies a woman’s mind like the smell of a man. The smell of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single taste that occupies a woman’s mind like the taste of a man. The taste of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”
“Mendicants, I do not see a single touch that occupies a woman’s mind like the touch of a man. The touch of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader. This source combines a range of related numbered discourses.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.