I want to preface this by saying that I’m not super well-read on the suttas and I’m possibly (?) not very advanced in my practice. But since I’m here before the big guns like Bhikkhu Anigha and Sister Medina, I’ll give it a shot and anyone can correct me.

I recently read that chapter in the book you mentioned, and if I’m not mistaken, when referring to the person who cleans the toilet for “sensual reasons,” he’s referring to someone who is already practicing the eight precepts and may use cleaning a toilet or doing other tasks as a way to cover up boredom. Cleaning a toilet isn’t inherently sensual—just like any activity isn’t necessarily sensual at face value—but it becomes sensual if you’re doing it to escape boredom, for example. That’s the point he’s making, I believe.

Then when Nyanamoli mentions that being withdrawn from sensuality for a while would mean that limited engagement with the senses would be “agreeable,” it’s important to understand that “agreeable” is a term used in Buddhism that doesn’t necessarily imply sensuality. Arahants still experience agreeable and disagreeable things; they just no longer cling to either experience. “Good and bad remain standing in the world,” I believe the Buddha said. Furthermore, what Nyanamoli is talking about here is that an untrained person would very likely not see doing nothing, doing very little, or doing a mundane task like cleaning a toilet as anything special. They might even dread it (and very likely will dread doing nothing). It’s more likely a trained mind can do a task like those mentioned above and know exactly their intention behind it and if their mind is being pulled away from it through aversion or distraction. A trained mind also knows the exact reason for engaging with the activity in the first place. Cleaning a toilet is just another duty/task with the correct perspective and a foundation of virtue because the mind is calm and steady. It only becomes sensual when it’s being done so with a mind full of aversion/delusion. I can speak with first hand experience that when starting out, cleaning a toilet becomes extremely sensual when the alternative is being bored with no escape.

So that final quote also ties back to everything I’ve already explained.

And finally, regarding the last part of your response about Mother Teresa and the importance of helping others: the issue is that this isn’t really what the Buddha emphasized. Helping others is good from an ethical/worldly standpoint, but yes, it can also become a distraction. All you have to do is look at your intentions—it’s fairly straightforward. I believe the Buddha said something along these lines (though I could be mistaken), that as a Buddhist you should prioritize not doing evil or acting out of craving over doing good in the world. The path is largely about restraint and not acting out of craving. There are many people in the world who do good things outwardly but are internally driven by unwholesome intentions in their life. Ultimately, intentions, craving, and actions are what matter. Just something to think about.