Guest guest Posted November 24, 2001 Report Share Posted November 24, 2001 Dear all, For the purposes of the discussion on celibacy, can I request people who post their thoughts to also clarify, 1. What according to them is celibacy? 2. Why is it necessary/not necessary in the spiritual quest according to them? Since each of you come with your own perspective, I am often at a loss to understand what these terms mean to each of you, and clarifying them will be a great help. love, Sreedhar -------------- Sreedhar T Bharath Department of Finance 9-153 44 West 4th Street New York NY -10012 212-998-0376(W) 212-995-4233(Fax) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 Sreedhar 1. To me celibacy is an English translation of the original Sanskrit word " Brahmacharya " . It means a charya or action that leads one to Brahma. None of us are probably complete celibate, because celibacy means abstaining from sense pleasures in thought and in action. Since thinking is a prelude to actions, even thinking of sense pleasures is abhored in scriptures. Such total celibacy could be found in teachers like Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, while in most of us, one finds varying degrees of celibacy. SInce celibacy has been considered as an essential 'input' for 'spiritual output', higher the degree of celibacy more likely will be one's spiritual output (progress). I think an appropriate example in this case could be 'Frontier Analysis' in econometrics. Those who are on the frontier and have a score of 1 are teachers like Thakur and Swamiji, all else are away from the frontier and the distance between frontier and the individual is 'spiritual inefficiency " !! All of us have a given quantum of life force. It is left to us to decide how to use this 'input'. If whole of the input is used for attainment of Brahma, one's spiritual efficiency will be highest or World Best practice!!! Let me give another anamoly: of a sports person say a tennis player. The more he practices it the more he becomes adept at it and if he wants to become a champion perhaps he lives tennis, talks tennis, breaths tennis etc etc which means he becomes completely focussed on the game. You may find that SUmo players/wrestlers observes complete Brahmacharya. One could of course decide if one want to be just a ordinary player or a champion in tennis and so also in spirituality. Our scriptures say that all of us are capable of becoming spiritual champions (attaining Brahma). 2. I think it is not left to us to decide whether or not it is necessary for spiritual progress. Masters (spiritual researchers like Ramakrishna) have already said that well yes it is necessary. It is not left to the tennis player to decide whether he should practice or observe rules of the game. Dr Milind Sathye School of Accounting, Banking and Finance University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Telephone: 6+ 2+ 6201 5489 Fax: 61+ 2+ 6201 5238 AND Adjunct Professor, Graduate College of Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW Sreedhar T. Bharath [sbharath] Sunday, 25 November 2001 6:49 AM Ramakrishna Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Digest Number 970 Dear all, For the purposes of the discussion on celibacy, can I request people who post their thoughts to also clarify, 1. What according to them is celibacy? 2. Why is it necessary/not necessary in the spiritual quest according to them? Since each of you come with your own perspective, I am often at a loss to understand what these terms mean to each of you, and clarifying them will be a great help. love, Sreedhar -------------- Sreedhar T Bharath Department of Finance 9-153 44 West 4th Street New York NY -10012 212-998-0376(W) 212-995-4233(Fax) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 Dear Sridhar; You have a good question. I think celibacy not only means absence of sexual activity with another person, but also the sexual desire itself, including self gratification. Forced celibacy with a burning desire for sex can only make things worse. I can vouch for that. Just having the desire puts you at the mercy of the other person, attaches you to the person or a person. Unquenching of the desire brings on resentment and disappointment. Anup- " Sreedhar T. Bharath " <sbharath <Ramakrishna > Saturday, November 24, 2001 2:48 PM Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Digest Number 970 > Dear all, > > For the purposes of the discussion on celibacy, > can I request people who post their thoughts to also clarify, > > 1. What according to them is celibacy? > 2. Why is it necessary/not necessary in the spiritual quest according to them? > > Since each of you come with your own perspective, I am often > at a loss to understand what these terms mean to each of you, > and clarifying them will be a great help. > > love, > Sreedhar > > > > -------------- > Sreedhar T Bharath > Department of Finance > 9-153 44 West 4th Street > New York NY -10012 > 212-998-0376(W) > 212-995-4233(Fax) > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2001 Report Share Posted November 26, 2001 I agree with Milind that we do not have any authority to say whether celebacy is or is not required for spiritual growth. Boy, don't I wish that it was not!. Anup - " Sathye, Milind " <MilindS <Ramakrishna > Saturday, November 24, 2001 9:49 PM RE: [sri Ramakrishna] Digest Number 970 > Sreedhar > > 1. To me celibacy is an English translation of the original Sanskrit word > " Brahmacharya " . It means a charya or action that leads one to Brahma. None > of us are probably complete celibate, because celibacy means abstaining from > sense pleasures in thought and in action. Since thinking is a prelude to > actions, even thinking of sense pleasures is abhored in scriptures. Such > total celibacy could be found in teachers like Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, > while in most of us, one finds varying degrees of celibacy. SInce celibacy > has been considered as an essential 'input' for 'spiritual output', higher > the degree of celibacy more likely will be one's spiritual output > (progress). I think an appropriate example in this case could be 'Frontier > Analysis' in econometrics. Those who are on the frontier and have a score > of 1 are teachers like Thakur and Swamiji, all else are away from the > frontier and the distance between frontier and the individual is 'spiritual > inefficiency " !! All of us have a given quantum of life force. It is left > to us to decide how to use this 'input'. If whole of the input is used for > attainment of Brahma, one's spiritual efficiency will be highest or World > Best practice!!! > > Let me give another anamoly: of a sports person say a tennis player. The > more he practices it the more he becomes adept at it and if he wants to > become a champion perhaps he lives tennis, talks tennis, breaths tennis etc > etc which means he becomes completely focussed on the game. You may find > that SUmo players/wrestlers observes complete Brahmacharya. One could of > course decide if one want to be just a ordinary player or a champion in > tennis and so also in spirituality. Our scriptures say that all of us are > capable of becoming spiritual champions (attaining Brahma). > > 2. I think it is not left to us to decide whether or not it is necessary > for spiritual progress. Masters (spiritual researchers like Ramakrishna) > have already said that well yes it is necessary. It is not left to the > tennis player to decide whether he should practice or observe rules of the > game. > > Dr Milind Sathye > School of Accounting, Banking and Finance > University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia > Telephone: 6+ 2+ 6201 5489 Fax: 61+ 2+ 6201 5238 > AND > Adjunct Professor, Graduate College of Management, > Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW > > > > > > Sreedhar T. Bharath [sbharath] > Sunday, 25 November 2001 6:49 AM > Ramakrishna > Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Digest Number 970 > > > Dear all, > > For the purposes of the discussion on celibacy, > can I request people who post their thoughts to also clarify, > > 1. What according to them is celibacy? > 2. Why is it necessary/not necessary in the spiritual quest according to > them? > > Since each of you come with your own perspective, I am often > at a loss to understand what these terms mean to each of you, > and clarifying them will be a great help. > > love, > Sreedhar > > > > -------------- > Sreedhar T Bharath > Department of Finance > 9-153 44 West 4th Street > New York NY -10012 > 212-998-0376(W) > 212-995-4233(Fax) > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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