Sex and Spirituality: Essay [1/3]

[suavedave]

I have to admit, my passion never leaves. Fire is the master, young grasses appear each spring. – Ikkyu

By degrees, little by little, from time to time, a wise person should remove his own impurities, as a smith removes (the dross) of silver. -- Dhammapada [1]


1.0 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to look at the question of how sexuality is related to spirituality. These two topics, sexuality and spirituality, have been long standing interests of mine, particularly because they seemed to cancel one another out: If I was to be a spiritual person, I had best follow the gist of the Buddhist texts I had read and refrain from sexual relationships. During university I was studying religious studies yet, at the same time I found myself drawn to a particular internet discussion forum titled alt.seduction.fast. This group discussed the elements associated with meeting members of the female sex and related matters.

Yet. Despite my avid interest in participating in what the group discussed, I found myself held back--- held back in large part by my readings in Buddhism. It was not until I discovered the writings of Zen poet Ikkyu in the book Zen Sex and other writings, including a book by master Osho [2] that my eyes became opened.

This paper purports to look at the various positions viz. sexuality and spirituality. We will begin with a paper that consists in large part by a series of organized quotations with the purpose of offering some form of segmentation of the arguments associated with the subject.

1.1 THE SENSES

In Chinese philosopher Mencius, we find the question as to why certain individuals are more evolved than others. Mencius’ response is that it is primarily through the senses – and the misuse thereof – that some people are “better” than others. “When our senses of sight are used without thought and are thereby obscured by material things, the material things act on the sense and lead them astray” (6A:15).

While an argument against sexuality may be drawn out of Mencuis’ remarks, it should be mentioned that in fact he is not directly making a criticism thereof, but merely an element that constituents it. That is, men or women get attracted to members of the opposite sex, and in the process they expend their energy attempting to acquire what their senses find pleasing. In this light, it is not the actual act itself which is seen as blameworthy, but rather the energy loss associated with pursuing objects of the senses.

Mencius also admonishes against “following the desires of one’s ears and eyes” as an unfilial practice and should be avoided for it “brings parents to disgrace” (4b:28)


Also, there is a passage from Dante, with respect to the mythological Siren that is also such to give an argument against sexuality. The quotation, albeit lengthy, is as follows:

[T]here can to me in a dream a woman, stammering, cross-eyed, and crooked on her feet, with maimed hands and of sallow hue. I gazed at her, and as the sun revives cold limbs benumbed by the night, so my look gave her a ready tongue and then in a little time made her quite erect and colored by her wan features as love desires. When she had her speech thus set free she began to sing so that it would have been hard for me to turn my mind from her. ‘I am’ she sang ‘I am the sweet siren who beguile the sailors in mid-sea, so great delight it is to hear me. I turned Ulysses, eager on his way, to my song, and he who dwells with me rarely departs, so wholly I content him.’ Her lips were not yet closed again when a lady holy and appeared beside me to put her to confusion. ‘Oh Virgil, Virgil, who is this? She said with anger. And he came with his eyes fixed on that honorable one; he seized the other and laid her bare in front, tearing her clothes, and showed me her belly. That awakened me with the strength that came from her.’ Three times I have called thee, he said. (Purg Canto XIXI)

Here we find the idea that in fact what is pleasing to the eye and attractive to the hear to be in fact quite different from what it appears to be. The true nature of the Siren is revealed in all it’s horror; what appeared to be beautiful was in fact horrendous. The message here can be taken to be that what the senses find to be pleasant may in fact be quite otherwise. After all – the Siren is said to have taken voyagers away from their path – and is therefore an obstacle to the fulfillment of a goal. What appears to be pleasant and appealing is in fact disastrous. Dante, and the mythology of the Siren are urging individuals to avoid such temptations and to see physical beauty – and indeed pleasure accrued through the enjoyment of physical pleasure – for what they really are: as appealing but unfulfilling if not horrific.

In the Dao De Ching we find

‘Block the passages, shut the doors,
And till the end your strength shall not fall.
Open the passages, increase your doings,
And till your last dayno help shall come to you (Chapter LII)

And, in the Hindu tradition there is a similar admonition. The guru of Paramahansa Yogananda, the founder of 20th century religious movement Self-Realization Fellowship, urges in Autobiography of a Yogi the following: “Do not allow yourself to be thrashed by the provking whiop of a beautiful face… how can sens slaves enjoy the world” (148).

Another passage, this time from the Gita we are advised against pursuing desires arisen as a result of the senses. One passage reads
(Springing) from union of the sense and their objects, that which in the beginning is likenectar,
IN maturity like poison [not the similarity to the passage from Shantideva, below]
That happiness is regarded as of passion. (XVIII:38]

1.2 TENETS

The Four Noble Truths are the most obvious admonition to avoid sexual activity. For the second truth – after the statement that life is suffering – is that suffering results in craving. Thus, if we are to end suffering and thus attain liberation we must end the desire for sexuality.

Aside from the four noble truths, there are other very basic elements within Buddhism that are associated with admonishing against sexuality. Among these, the Four Bodhisattva Vows urge individuals to, among three other admonitions, to “uproot blind passions.” Thus, to become a Bodhisattva – to realize the goal of Buddhism, one must fulfill this vow.

In fact, so thoroughly is certain elements of Buddhism against sexual desire that some texts deal with specific techniques to avoid the desire from arising. Hsing Yun points out in Being Good that sexual attraction is dealt with in Yogacarabhumi sastra and Abhidhamarosa. One Buddhist approach is to remove sexual desire by contemplating the uncleanly ness of the body – an approach taken too by Shantideva (mentioned below). In this way sex desire is sought to be removed.

1.3 DESIRES

Related to admonitions against following sensual objects are arguments to avoid having too many desires. Many traditions make this suggestion, and again the purport seems to be to find contentment within. That is, by searching for happiness without then one will be eternally striving for some other source to give one pleasure. On the other hand, by realizing the joy that arises say, out of spiritual practices such as meditation, then one will have unlimited pleasure constantly available to one – whether or not an object of desire is immediately present or not. [3]

The Dao De Ching makes many remarks on the subject of the joys of removing one’s desires. According to the Dao, the sage, “desires to have no desires.” For there is “No presage of evil greater than that men should be wanting to get more.” (xlvi), “To be content with what one has is to be rich” (xxxiii) and “Truly: ‘He who has known the contentment that comes through being content, will never again be otherwise than contented.’” (xlvi)

Related to this argument is the position that sensual desires generate an unceasing amount of discomfort because the more they are satisfied, the more they increase. The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas contains the following: “Sensual pleasures are like salt water: the more you indulge, the more thirst increases. / Abandon at once those things which breed clinging attachment.” (#21) And, again Buddhist master Su Tung P’o writes “Human desires are boundless and endless, but the capacity of objects to satisfy our desires is not.” (Being Good, 31) [4] And, finally, from the Sutra of Bequeathed Teachings we find “People with many desires are always looking for gain and thus suffer and have many troubles. People with few desires feel no need to lust after things and thus they are peaceful and free of many troubles.”

Desires, are, therefore endless. As is written in the Avadanas “Even if the seven treasures were to rain down from heave, they would still not satisfy desire. Desire gives rise to few pleasures and many troubles. To understand this truth is to be a sage.”

Likewise, the Gita contains that not only will one suffer, one will fall into a lower realm of existence by indulging in desires. “[T]hose who are intent on the enjoyment of desires, / they fall to a foul hell.” (XV:16)

Another similar position is that the fulfillment of desires, while at first is quite satisfying, in the end results in pain. In a oft’ quoted passage by Shantideva we find “there is no satisfaction in sensual desires, which are like honey on a razor’s edge.” (VII:64). [5]

 

[suavedave]

[2/3]

The Bagavad Gita divides action into three categories – that of goodness (the highest quality), of passion, and of darkness (the lowest). According to this categorization, actions done for the pursuit of desires are seen to be out of passion, the second category. In the Gita we find,
“Obligatory, free from attachment,
done without desire or loathing,
By one who seeks no fruit from it, actions
Such as this is called of goodness.

But action which one seeking desires,
Or again by one who is selfish,
Is done, with much weary labour,
That is declared to be of passion.” (Xviii: 23-24)

Or alternately, one will realize certain promises made in texts such as the Dao De Ching. The Dao advises, for instances that “Truly, ‘Only he that dies himself of desire can see the Secret Essences. He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes.’ (i)

Now, a point of analysis is due here. What is being recommended against by these texts is desires – not the product thereof – sexuality. That is, sexuality is not denied outright, rather, one should be careful not to want to have it. This seems to be what is discussed above in reference to the Dao of Steve – what is important is to rid oneself of desire. Therefore, a differentiation may be made between sexuality itself and the desire therefore.

1.4 SAVRAMIS

Commenting too on the Chrisitan tradition, Savramis Demosthenes’ book The Santanizing of Women [6] describes the positions of Augustine and Aquinas. For Augusine, sexual pleasure was detrimental because, according to Christine E. Godorf, such pleasure “causes a loss of control over our activity, makes us irresponsible, and, therefore, causes us to neglect our moral duties.” (Savramis, 82-3). Furthermore, “exual pleasure lures us to focus on our own individual satisfaction, and therefore tempts us to be selfish, to ignore or abuse others.” (83). St. Thomas too was against sexual activity in so far it was done for pleasure -- he found that sexual the sexual act was primarily an animal activity and should be performed for higher purposes such as procreation (83).



1.5 THE MASTER’S EXAMPLE

On the other hand, improper indulgence in sexuality can bring disfavor to one’s name. This can be seen in the example of Baker Roshi, ex-leader of the Zen Center of San Fransisco, begun by Shunryo Suzuki. Roshi comments as follows after a particular incident where he was found to have had an affair with numerous students under his tutelage.

I thought, okay. I’ll drive a nice car, and I’ll have girlfriends, and I’ll go to dinner, which I had basically never done. And I did all these things to see if I could also practice. I wanted to be like a layperson. And I don’t think I was an exaggerated layperson. I was trying an all-fronts experiment. [7] (Michael Downing, Shoes outside the door, 37)

Richard, of course, was seriously disgraced following his “experiment” – something that would never have happened had he managed to keep his desires in check and not indulged in sexual pleasure in the manner in which he did.


1.6 BENEFITS

Another example as to why one should not engage in sexual behavior comes from the text The Giving rise of the Ten Kinds of Mind of the Bodhisattva. Here, it is suggested that one give up lust, and thereby gain several benefits. Among these, one will not be robbed, one will be given whatever one wishes for, and one will be offered various disrable objects. Thus, refraining from sexuality is seen more as beneficial to oneself rather than being morally preferential.

2.0 DAOISM

Of course, an of the relationship between sexuality and is Daoist sexual practices. [8] Joseph Needham, in Science and Civilization in China writes that “[The purpose of Taoist sexual techniques was to ][ increase the amount of life giving ching as possible by sexual stimulation…. Continence was considered not only impossible, but improper, as contrary to the great rhythm of Nature, since everything in nature had male or female properties.” And furthermore, Dolores La Chappell comments that “[T]hese sexual techniques were used to increase the energy not only between man and woman but within the group as a whole and between the human and the land.” (261) [9]

2.1 BUDDHIST INSTRUCTION

Two points of view come from conversations I have had with teachers within the Buddhist tradition. One teacher advised me, in admonishing me to practice meditation diligently, that by practicing the meditation technique as a result the “girls will love me.” I asked another teacher about the relationship between Buddhism and sexuality and it was suggested that in fact there is no real contradiction: what is important is to see the pleasure accrued through the sexual act as impermanent and not to become attached to it.

2.2 TENETS

The author of the Faith Mind Inscription, the 3rd Patriarch of Zen, whole heartedly encourages adherents to avoid creating any dualisms such as “love and hate” “likes and dislikes” “right and wrong”. Seen in this light, if indeed one is to avoid creating such distinctions, the duality between sexual activity and abstinence too is irrelevant. In stark contrast to the moral injunctions associated with such, for instance, the Ten Commandments. From the Buddhist point of view – particularly the Zen standpoint – is not specifically certain actions but rather excessive thinking. Because much of thoughts stem from holding likes and dislikes with regards to the various objects of our experience, viewing the world from a non-dual perspective thus frees the mind from conceptual thinking. Thus, perfection comes not from acting in a particularly moral way but rather in viewing with equality both sexuality and non-sexuality.

There is, however a downside to using the Buddhist philosophical concepts as a rational for actions. As Bernard Faure points out, “A paradoxical justification for Buddhist transgressions appears in some Buddhist texts”: one may kill, steal, and have sex to the extent that one realizes that everything is empty” (100). [10]


2.3 TU WEI MING

With regards to arguments in favor of sexuality, one may look at the position of New Confucian Philosopher Tu Wei Ming. We may look at Tu’s central thesis and leverage that to generate a colliery thereof, though he himself has not stated the argument outright. Tu argues that sociality, at lease from the Confucian perspective, is intricately related with spirituality. One becomes more spiritual as one is increasingly social.

Now, with a bit of care and logical fortitude an argument can be made as follows. First, there is a link between sexuality and sociality in that sexuality cannot occur without first being social. Even prostitutes and John’s must interact on some minimal level. Therefore, because sexuality involves sociality, and sociality involves spirituality, sexuality is therefore a spiritual pursuit.

2.4 SAVRAMIS [11]

Savramis’ book, is particularly informative with respect to the place of sexuality in spiritual traditions. The author finds that in primitive societies where there is no taboo against sex, sex takes place naturally and openly. “The histories of non-Christian religions offer proof that man’s eternal sexual yearning need not distract him from religious experience and functioning.” The author traces the western historic views of sex and shows have an essential fear of women has developed and led to an outright denigrating of the sexual act from a religious perspective.

However, throughout the author seeks a reconciliation, and, as the above mentioned quote implies, an argument that sex is a natural part of life and spirituality. “Whenever man listens to nature and to his own heart, finding in them the main criteria for action, he is spontaneously attracted to the opposite sex and seeks union with it.” (27) The author – dealing primarily with the Christian perspective would undoubtedly agree that there is a strong similarly between the Christian and the Eastern perspectives on sexuality; both to a great extent see the pursuit of sexuality detrimental. In sum, Savramis finds that “[r]eligion and sexuality are two life forces we should not view as antagonistic” (4).

What ends up happening, according to the author is that such an outright denial of the inherent desire for sexuality leads to a “morbid curiosity concerning the anatomy of the opposite sex” (83). In contrast, however, certain tribes walk around on a daily basis without any genital coverings (94).

2.5 THE MASTER’S EXAMPLE

There are a variety of wise men that are seen to be superior precisely because of their lack of desires. Thus lack of desire is seen as a virtue – by following the path of these great men, it is implied, one will also become great. Ryokan, for instance was said to have lived “with a little grain in a sack and a little wood by his stove… He sat cross-legged and at ease in his thatch hut under the rain” (Being Good).

Osho, too, a modern writer on the subject of spirituality has comments to save with respect sex and spirituality. Osho’s book contains many arguments in favour of sex as an integral aspect of spirituality. Among Osho’s claims is that it was “through the sexual orgasm that religion was created” (244). Far from placing spirituality above sex, Osho admonishes that those who try to deny sexual relationships in the name of pursuing one’s spirituality are in fact committing a type of suicide are merely denying an essential aspect to being a human being. Osho, in fact, not only endorses the sexual act, but also encourages one to find and relate to as many members of the opposite sex as possible.

 

[suavedave]

[3/3]

Another argument comes from the writings of Zen master Ikkyu. Ikkyu, while quite different from the majority of Zen masters for his sexual promiscuity, was still a Zen master. The book Zen Sex discusses and illustrates many of Ikkyu’s sexually related poems describing his illicit encounters with a variety of pleasure girls in Japan. Therefore, we may argue that, if it is indeed the case that an individual who can indeed be called a “master” too sees a place for sexuality, then it may be that indeed sex is not, then, an absolute taboo or in fact detrimental to the pursuit of spiritual acumen. [12]

The Zen tradition is, it must be mentioned quite different from many spiritual traditions, such as those from India. The Zennist does not try to transcend the human condition but rather to immerse himself wholly within it. This position is well put in Three Ways of Asian Wisdom. “The Zen ‘wakening’ is not supposed to bring withdrawal from the world… The Zen-man is not seeking something superhuman. He does not set out to be an anchorite or a saint… To use a modern western slang expression, a true Zennist has indeed decided to ‘join the human race’” (148) [13]

2.6 BENEFITS

Religion, too, can be applied to increase one’s amount of type spent in sexual interplay. For instance, in the book Zen and the Art of Falling in Love [14] one individual comments that through spiritual practice she found herself surrounded by admirers. Rather than needing to look for partners, she in fact found herself being the one pursued. “I’m not searching for love,” she commented,”It’s searching for me” (244). The movie the Dao of Steve contains a similar idea. Steve, a perpetual womanizer, advises his followers to follow the Daoist practice of removing desires and to increase one’s chances with women. By not having desires, women will see the man as a unique sort and therefore feel a greater attraction.

3.0 SUMMARY

This paper has purported to show that there are two approaches to the question of the relationship between sexuality and spirituality. Even within the Buddhist tradition there are two approaches. While I will not here attempt to resolve the dilemma, it is apparent that there are most definitely two approaches to the problem.

To summarize briefly, I will go through arguments made on both sides of the issue. First, there are the suggestions that one should not follow objects of the senses for the reasons that doing so will make one an inferior man (Mencius) , the senses deceive with respect to the quality of the individual saught (Dante), doing so will “increase one’s troubles” (Daoism) and doing os will make one a “slave” of the senses. Also, following objects of the senses seems pleasurable at first but in the end results in pain (The Gita) and being indulging in the senses brings “disgrace to one’s parents” (Again from Mencius).

Next, there are various tenets in Buddhism that advise against sexuality. First, there is the four noble truths where desire is seen to be the cause of suffering. And, secondly, one must fulfill the vow to “uproot blind passions” to fulfill the goal of Buddhism.

Many of the major religions admonish against having too many desires. While sexuality is not denied out rightly, it is seen to be more profitable to get rid of the very impulse. The logic is reasonable – if one is to remove the desire for sex, then naturally one will feel more at ease as there will be one less thing to make one feel discontent.

Another point, described in Savramis and made by Godorf of Augustine is that sexuality causes us to, as mentioned above, to become selfish and to neglect actions that should be undertaken.

Also, there is the concern that by pursuing sexuality one will be looked down upon – as Baker Roshi has been as a result of his indiscretions at the San Fransisco Zen Center.
Next, there are numerous benefits associated with giving up sex according to the Buddhist tradition – these are mentioned above under section 2.6.

Now, in favor of sexuality and spirituality as not-mutually exclusive we find the works of Tu Wei Ming and the argument elucidated above – that sexuality, sociality and spirituality are related and therefore to be spiritual can include also being sexual.


Next, there we can then follow the teachings of such “Master’s” as Osho and Ikkyu, both of whom explicitly (in the case of Osho) and implicitly (in the case of Ikkyu) recommend sexuality. Arguments aside, the very fact that Ikkyu, though being a master in his own right and, Osho, also a recognized leader in the spiritual community may be seen to give credence to sexuality being accepted and not rejected for being spiritually impure.

With regards to positions in favor of sexuality, there is the belief of daoist practitioners that sexual activity was not only beneficial for individuals, but in fact also caused a raise in energy for the entire group of which the two partners were members.

Next, also from Savramis we find that sexuality, especially from a non-Christian perspective is seen as a natural and productive activity. By contrast, those with taboos against sex leave children with an excessive preoccupation with the anatomy of the opposite sex.

Finally, an argument in favor comes from the very philosophical basis of Mahayana Buddhism. If indeed we are to rid one selves of conceptions of right and wrong, then it seems to follow that there is no ultimate moral criterion to follow. What is evil is thinking about right and wrong and creating dualities – not specific actions.

3.1 RECOMMENDATIONS

What, then, is the solution? There is one possible answer – from the perspective of those against sexuality. The Mahaprajanparamity Shastra states that “If all desires cause suffering like this, then how is one to be rid of it? One can rid oneself of desire by learning the joys of samadhi, found in deep meditation.” (Being Good, 40) Although, this too is not the end of the story. For as Ikkyu writes, “The autumn breeze of a single night of love is better than a hundred thousand years of sterile meditation.”

The discussion above with reference to sexuality implies that sexuality is not negative in itself but rather that desire therefore being problematic. This position – attributed to Krishnamurti, and mentioned above in relation to Mencius – deserves to be considered. In the end, is not what is evil excessive pre-occupation about a specific topic, problem or situation without any knowledge as to the reality thereof? In other words, as a recommendation it may be suggested that what is important is for the mind to simply deal with sexuality in an appropriate fashion – neither denying it’s importance outright nor being excessively preoccupied thereof.

There is a Buddhist passage that reads “Although something may be forbidden by the regulations , do not neglect to form a knowable karmic affinity with it if you believe that such an affinity may bear fruit; and even though something may be advocated in the sutras, if you suspect that it may contain an impediment to salvation, eschew it.” (Faure, 96). And, similarly from the Bible, “Everything is lawful, but not everything is profitable.” (1 Cor. 6:12). While these passages appear quite different, underlying them both is an underlying message: in the end admonitions and suggestions with regards to ways to conduct one’s life must be determined from within. Taken to an extreme, a life devoted to an absolute and strict observance of any system of moral and like codes leads to a life of fanaticism [15] and irrationality. On the other hand, living without consideration of the words and admonitions of saints and sages from the past seems equally as futile.


ENDNOTES

1 Translators of passages from the Bible, Dante, Lao Tzu and the Bible have not yet been cited here.
2 Osho, Sex Matters, , St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2002
3 This subject is treated very well in Stephen Batchlor’s Alone With Others.
4 Weatherhill, 1998
5 Shantideva, in fact finds the pursuit of desires, particularly that if sexual pleasure so essential to be avoided that nearly an entire chapter is devoted to showing how a beautiful body is, in reality, a corpse of holes full of excrement and puss.
6 New York: Doubleday. 1974
7 Downing, Michael. Shoes outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center. Counterpoint: 2001
8 For completeness, this paper could include a section on Tantra. The tantric tradition is, however quite vast and complex and we will here only point out that in Tantra, too, sexuality is related to spirituality.
9 Dolores LaChapelle: Sacred Land, Sacred Sex, Rapture of the Deep. Finn Hill Arts, USA, 1988
10 The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality. Pricnton University Press. 1998
Savramis’s book is full arguments in favour of a greater acceptance of spirituality and religion. A full description and exposition of the arguments therein is impossible due to the scope of the paper.
12 It should be mentioned that Ikkyu is certainly not the only admirable figure that condoned and pleasured in sex. Zeus, albeit mythological, was considered “the heavenly seducer and benofactor of a seemingly endless number of mortal and immortal men and women….”
13 Hans Licht Sexual Life in Anciety Greece. London, 1932.
14 Simon and Schuster, 2003.
15 Nehru, one of Gandhi’s chief disciples for instance has claimed that Gandhi – an advocate of chastity was found once engaged in a sexual orgy with a group of Hindu women.



Religious Perspectives on Sexuality










March 28, 2003

 

[Anson]

Interresting essay!

I've always thought that spirituality is a part of human beings. Some people believe in God, some people in Buddhism - but in the end, we all have our desires to believe in something greater. If not in any religion or god, then at least we give higher values to lesser things/beings. Spirituality is simply a part of us, no matter how much we don't want it - and same goes for sexuality, actually.

Therefore, denying one or the other would not be a good thing in my mind. That's why reading and thinking stuff like what Suavedave wrote can never be a bad thing. The secret about reading this stuff is not to agree or disagree, but to start thinking these things yourself. But not only that; Suavedave's post was interresting for a non-Buddhist (or someone who doesn't know much about eastern religions) as sophisticating information - even though you'd propably have to know more about this stuff if you truly wanted to estimate the accuracy of this piece of work. Unfortunately, I don't .

Anyway, thanks for the contribution, dave. An interresting essay indeed.

 

[MaTuA]

Yes that was an excellent topic indeed! I know with out a doubt that sex is spiritual as well. Between two people as a union is best. But like wise I am a man. I am no virgin but, I dont have sex as often as others. I'm in school, but the whole while I never displayed a real interest in constantly trying to have sex. Now I've gotten on with a few but sporadically. It's still kindaweird after 4 years because, when I did want to bang alot of girls, none of them wanted to get wit me. What I wound up doing was meditating alot. I would go sit outside somewhere, with music, or a book , or do work or whatever. I'm pretty quiet, so I dont make alot of small talk with those I dont know. I'm christian, by meditating & not thinking so much about sex, Iwas more open to hearing from the Most High.

 

[MaTuA]

Cont'd

Its crazy cause I was reading a book on DaO one of my boys had & I was sorta doing alot of the thngs (i.e. curbing those desires) non-knowingly. To reinforce that, I've noticed that , alot of girls at my school want to fugg me! I somehow became a pretty popular face on campus. My sex-drive is like Diesel but, more than that I found my peace of mind & more SoulPower than I had before.

Its weird because now these "chicken-heads" who I had in class, or met in the library, or tried to talk to, want to get inside my head & in their bed. And its so obvious!!! I just smile say "hello" & keep it moving. Its funny man. Its been "eye-openining" , enlightning, & dare i say sosuave!
:

It was difficult for a time because I wanted to be included in the" who i bedded stories" , but after I thought about everything that I posessed, the Image that is percieved by my presence on campus, the respect I've gained in this community as a unoficiall Swami has been cool in retrospect. To this date I still remain a loner, a deep thinkin , intelligent, kind, respectful, visionairy.

 

[MaTuA]

part III (I'm musing so bear wit me)

I know that by not succumbing to the pressures of 'fitting in' I've given the outkast & loners a chance to claim their stakes of fitting in & being themselves. All of this is relevant to me obtaining my inheritance that God has promised me since my conception.

All of my prayers of better dayz, long nights of tossing boxes over my shoulder, in a suxk assed job, trying to pay tuition, blood , sweat, & many tears, has made me mentally strong, physically intimidating, & a spiritual warrior most of all. To God be the glory in everything. But this is the self-actualzation, of a prophecy I still must fulfill.

In Essence... Time changes, things change. To remain rooted with God with you're spirit, with society, with yourself, you gotta lose yourself. This life is only but a moment & then gone... Grow, learn, embrace, regret, forgive, respect, remember, envision, lose many battles. Many hard fought battles, were lost. Soldiers were lost on battlefield... Win the crowd , the war is Won already. To whomever felt, like i felt, & sometimes still feel, Peace & Blessings. To each man his own.... Hope I help.

 

[The Irish Tongue]

Please be careful in distinguishing spirituality and religion. They are two very distinct and seperate experiences that get lumped together far to often.

 

[Umbra]

Incredible amount of effort in this thread. Bookmarking for future reference. Thank you.

 

[Boricua_33015]

Ya know what's funny?

Realizing enlightenment feels like having a full body orgasm.

It makes me think that.... an orgasm is actually realizing enlightenment also. Feeling connectedness to the source. The feeling-realization, knowing.

BTW, good post.