Guest guest Posted August 20, 2001 Report Share Posted August 20, 2001 Well yes that is true. The wife would like to have sex so what do you do. Is celibacy a physical thing? Or is it a state of mind? Can one be a celibate if he/she has had sex even once. Can that person take up the spiritual life. To deny sex to your wife is it not injustice and self-deception and self-centerdness. Why can't one have sex if the other wants it and it is that persons happiness. Why can't the saint give up his celibacy just to give away without thinking. Why can't a saint be someone's happiness? When the spiritual person beilieve's that the body and mind are just MAYA then why does he care so much about it. What is so big about it? Why can't a person have sex daily and be free from it. Or regard it as worship. I personally don't want to have sex because 1) Yes I want to use all those powers for my work (though I feel why can't I forget about my work and have sex without any motive and give myself away and melt into someone to be their happiness) 2) I will not marry and will have no time for sex. I want to forget about sex and just do some work in this lifetime (if I can, if Swami Ji wills). Please comment. KS > > > > > > R D [sMTP:jaguarxox] > > Monday, August 20, 2001 9:31 AM > > Ramakrishna > > Re: [ramakrishna] Digest Number 877 > > > > To continue with Sreedhar's thoughts on celibacy: > > > > Many teachers have tended to take a positive approach > > toward this subject, including Sri Ramakrishna. You > > know the parables: > > > > 1.The more you move west, the further you are from the > > east. > > 2. God is the big magnet, woman (lust) is the small > > magnet, etc. > > > > The more God becomes the center of your life, the > > further your mind will be from the world. Through > > meditation the mind and passions are quieted and your > > energy is directed towards your Ideal instead of > > outwards. The desire for sensual pleasure is reduced. > > More and more peace seeps into your mind and body.... > > This is a natural development when you meditate for a > > long time, without break, and in all earnestness (to > > quote Patanjali). > > > > Sex isn't THE biggest obstacle- the outward tendency > > of the mind is the problem. Even if your THINKING > > lustful thoughts, your mind is restless and agitated > > and not fit for concentration or meditation. > > Therefore, these desires must be quieted for the mind > > to calm down. > > > > I think there's a tendency for householders (myself > > included) to delude themselves that they can " have > > their cake and eat it too " in regards to sex and > > spiritual life. But I think the best approach is to > > seriously practice and let these tendencies fall away > > on their own. It's not healthy to force yourself to be > > celibate when you are not ready. When the fruit is > > ripe, it falls from the tree on it's own accord. When > > your devotion to the spiritual life becomes firm, > > these issues will disappear (unless of course your > > wife is unhappy- she might want you to forget God and > > NOT look on her as the " Blissful Mother " !) > > > > Ravi > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2001 Report Share Posted August 21, 2001 I think you are talking about Samsara lifestyle. Anba --- tomcarr wrote: > I am usually suspicious of celibacy. So > many people > practice celibacy because they have sexual problems > that they are > not willing to face. These problems can be guilt > and shame about > sex, or fear of sex, or fear of intimacy, or many > other kinds of > fear and shame. A person can say they are > practicing celibacy for > spiritual growth, when really they are hiding from > something that > they can not face. Often people are not even aware > of this > themselves. It is sub conscious. > So many spiritual teachers have pretended to > be celibate, > but were later exposed as having all kinds of > unhealthy sex in > secret. The Catholic Church makes all it's priest > be celibate, and > now we find out that many of the priests had forced > sex with > children, and many other priests helped them keep it > a secret. > I think that for most people a good honest > loving sexual > relationship with one person who you truly love is > the best thing. > There may be some spiritual experiences that > only come to > people who are celibate. I don't know. I know > there are many > wonderful people who practice celibacy, and nothing > I have said > should be taken as an insult to them. Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah > Vivekananda Centre London > http://www.vivekananda.co.uk > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2001 Report Share Posted August 21, 2001 Yes Sir. Just because we do not find celibacy possible for us we should not dilute its importance. However let me say that most discussions on celibacy are a case of putting the cart before the horse. I believe that as a result of long spiritual sadhana and this may be across many births....the inner tendencies which make the attraction to sex seem so overpowering give way to the attraction for God. Over time a spontaneous wisdom gains force in a man which reveals to him that sex opposite God is a bad bargain since there is no comparison between the pleasure of the latter to the former. Thus celibacy comes from within and is not an effort which is imposed from outside which can only be a frustrating process of hopeless repression. Dont even try doing that. My friends .... keep moving sincerely towards God and do not worry about your not being able to practice celibacy. Just pray for wisdom. Celibacy will come as a natural result. When you are ripe lust will just drop with no force from your side. Now just as a side issue .....is it unmanly to be a celibate. Not really. Just as the toys that were so enchanting at the age of infancy hold no sway after some years ...yet after growing up if you so decide you can still play with the same toys as a child would want to. But the question is would you want to do that.....so is the case of a celibate. A true celibate just laughs away at sex as a man does to the toys of a child. That is when you will realise the truth of Sankara 's verse in the Bhaja Govindam " do not get deluded by the sight of women with their full breasts and navel .....remember again and again that these are but modifications of flesh " Hari Om and Pranams Dev PS: No, I am not a celibate. Yet I know that I will reach the goal one day by the grace of God. Who cares when and who cares for celibacy. Let God bother about my celibacy....it is his problem and created by him. Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Messenger http://phonecard./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2001 Report Share Posted August 21, 2001 Devinder A great contribution indeed. There is a reference somewhere that love of God also happens only with grace of God. (Ramakrishna says this too). Probably what Devinder has written at the end sums up things the best and that is what a Marathi sant, Sant Namdeo (who also finds a place in Guru Granth Saheb) said succintly in his verses. " Oh God I know I am a sinner and hence I came to your doorstep so that you will redeem me. And look you don't seem to care !! you continue to flood my mind with all the useless thoughts. Now I am not responsible!! Now you oh God you are the culprit you are responsible' ( Patit pavan nam aikunee alo mee dwara ....). Or as the Christians will say 'Here I am lord, all else is thy responsibility'. Hope this helps Milind DEVINDER AHUJA [devahuja] Tuesday, 21 August 2001 8:09 PM Ramakrishna Re: [ramakrishna] Celibacy Yes Sir. Just because we do not find celibacy possible for us we should not dilute its importance. However let me say that most discussions on celibacy are a case of putting the cart before the horse. I believe that as a result of long spiritual sadhana and this may be across many births....the inner tendencies which make the attraction to sex seem so overpowering give way to the attraction for God. Over time a spontaneous wisdom gains force in a man which reveals to him that sex opposite God is a bad bargain since there is no comparison between the pleasure of the latter to the former. Thus celibacy comes from within and is not an effort which is imposed from outside which can only be a frustrating process of hopeless repression. Dont even try doing that. My friends .... keep moving sincerely towards God and do not worry about your not being able to practice celibacy. Just pray for wisdom. Celibacy will come as a natural result. When you are ripe lust will just drop with no force from your side. Now just as a side issue .....is it unmanly to be a celibate. Not really. Just as the toys that were so enchanting at the age of infancy hold no sway after some years ...yet after growing up if you so decide you can still play with the same toys as a child would want to. But the question is would you want to do that.....so is the case of a celibate. A true celibate just laughs away at sex as a man does to the toys of a child. That is when you will realise the truth of Sankara 's verse in the Bhaja Govindam " do not get deluded by the sight of women with their full breasts and navel .....remember again and again that these are but modifications of flesh " Hari Om and Pranams Dev PS: No, I am not a celibate. Yet I know that I will reach the goal one day by the grace of God. Who cares when and who cares for celibacy. Let God bother about my celibacy....it is his problem and created by him. Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Messenger http://phonecard./ Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah Vivekananda Centre London http://www.vivekananda.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.