The Ten Karmic Punishments Arising from Sexual Misconduct


From Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom
(Dharmamitra Translation)

Sexual misconduct is a calamity analogous to a venomous snake or a great fire which, should one fail to immediately avoid it, entails the encroachment of disastrous harm. As stated by the Buddha, sexual misconduct has ten punishments:

The first is that the husband of one's sexual conquest is constantly bent on destroying him.
The second is that the husband and wife are not harmonious and are constantly engaged in mutual strife.
The third is that bad dharmas proliferate with each passing day while good dharmas diminish with each passing day.
The fourth is that one does not see to the protection of one's own body while also widowing and orphaning one's wife and children.
The fifth is that one's wealth and business deteriorate daily.
The sixth is that there are all manner of unfortunate situations and one is constantly doubted by others.
The seventh is that one's relatives and friends do not feel affection or fondness for him.
The eighth is that one plants the karmic causes and conditions for having enemies.
The ninth is that when one's body is destroyed and one's life comes to an end, one dies and enters the hells.
The tenth is that if one emerges and becomes a woman, many men simultaneously engage in the acts of a husband. If one becomes a man, one's wife is not chaste.
If one refrains from all such causes and conditions as these then this qualifies as not engaging in sexual misconduct.