Celibacy...

[Guest guest]

The question of the importance of celibacy was brought up on the Advaitin. I

will pass this on to as well.

 

The Sage of Arunachala was often asked questions on celibacy. Ramana

Maharshi invariably taught that physical celibacy was not True Brahmacharya

(To Be With the Self) and gave many examples to demonstrate his points. In

his court deposition regarding the Ashram will, he spoke of Self-Realized

beings who were married and had children. I recall the Sage giving one

example of a Self-Realized Sadhu who engaged in sexual relations with a

dancing girl and had a child by her and was therefore perceived as a fake by

others.

 

As Sunderji has noted, the word celibacy is a poor term to convey the

concept of Brahamacharya (Being with the Self). The practice of celibacy or

regulation of sexual conduct plays a role in Kundalini Yoga. For advanced

Yogis, in whom Kundalini is rising to higher centers and Sahasarara,

celibacy or good regulation of sexual conduct allows maintaining certain

Samadhis for longer periods. However, celibacy is not the only factor.

Another factor is regulation of sleep. All of this can be known only through

meditative experience and not through reading books.

 

Celibacy, therefore, may play a critical role for many people at various

junctures of their spiritual life. Any absolute statements about physical

celibacy should be viewed with caution. They are not consistent with the

highest teachings and are often made by individuals who do not have deep

experiential understanding of the Yogic and Tantric paths and the Samadhis

and states they lead to.

 

For those on the Jnana path, and the devotees of the Sage of Arunachala, the

whole issue of physical celibacy is moot as the practice relates to the

body. Brahmacharya is not a practice. It indicates living in the Self.

 

Ultimately, instead of listening to the "experts" (who on closer examination

may turn out to be novices), one with deep and abiding faith in the Heart,

the Inner Guru, rests in His Own Nature.

 

Love to all

Harsha