Continence shouldn't be part of regulative principles

[Guest guest]

Sex, like hunger, is a physiological impulse. We don't condemn hunger but we do sex. There is a difference between necessity and desire. Sexual urge isn't a desire (you don't desire it way you'd desire a million bucks), it is a human need. It is a necessity. Why condemn it?

 

Even if we aren't free from sexual urges, it shouldn't matter to spirituality; after all, we aren't trying to free ourselves from hunger to become spiritual. Why the double standards? The various ashramas (brahmacharya, grihasta etc.) in sanatana dharma would have no meaning if people from all ashramas follow a sanyasi lifestyle.

 

Thus it is concluded that sex isn't a bar to spiritual progress, and I do not know why it has been included in the 4 regs.

[ajit12]

Celibecy was never a part of Vedic religion.In fact Vedas,Mahabharat & puranas are very explicit & matter of fact about sex matters.Sex worship was an essential part of Tantric cult.Ours is the only society which produced Khajuraho,Konark & Vatsyana's Kaamsutra.

Sex is also cosidered to be one of the four Purusharth,they are Dharm[Religion & worship through rituals],Arth[earning ,multiplying & enjoying money],Kaam[enjoyment of sex & procreation] & moksha[release of atma or salvation]A householder is required to make his wife a 50% partner in the first three.

Celibacy and all sorts of stupid rules associated with it are a part borrowed from Budhism & Jainism.These frowned upon sex or even seeing the opposite sex by the Shraman or Sanyasi Bhikkus.This somehow made it's way in a distorted form in hinduism.

Tantric rituals & sex worship had reached extreme proportions in using sex for worship.It was just horrifying and was spreading despite efforts to control it.Celibacy became the other extreme cosidering sex to be something horrible.Excesses on both sides are to be avoided.

[narayanadasa]

Jai Sriman Narayana:

 

Sex, like hunger, is a physiological impulse. We don't condemn hunger but we do sex. There is a difference between necessity and desire. Sexual urge isn't a desire (you don't desire it way you'd desire a million bucks), it is a human need. It is a necessity. Why condemn it?

Sex is not being condenmed. ONLY Illicit /Excessive sex is condemned. That is what we have a grahasta stage in life where you marry and regulate your sex life. Same in case of hunger. ONLY Excessive eating and eating without offering to God is condenmed.

 

Even if we aren't free from sexual urges, it shouldn't matter to spirituality; after all, we aren't trying to free ourselves from hunger to become spiritual. Why the double standards? The various ashramas (brahmacharya, grihasta etc.) in sanatana dharma would have no meaning if people from all ashramas follow a sanyasi lifestyle.

Both Illicit/Excessive sex and Excessive/Food rich in Rajo & Tamo gunas do matter to sprituality. Thats why they need to be controlled as advised in the Vedas to become spiritually clean. All people should become Sanyasi before death.. after 50 Vanaprashtha, after 70/75 Sanyasa. Nobody said that a person should become Sanyasi at a young age. Some people with some special benediction do so at an early age but these are only exceptions not to be generalized.

 

Thus it is concluded that sex isn't a bar to spiritual progress, and I do not know why it has been included in the 4 regs.

[Guest guest]

Hari OM

 

"and I do not know why it has been included in the 4 regs. "

 

This confusion generally arises because, Kaama is generally (mis) understood as sex.

 

However the literal translation for Kaama is "desire", i.e., desire for anything and the desire is the main cause of bondage of soul to material universe.

[Guest guest]

Hari OM,

 

Just a clarification: Kama = lust = material desire.

 

Spiritual desires are liberating.

 

Hari OM.

[Guest guest]

in more general terms we can state as "undesirable desires" OR "unwanted desires" oor desires which lead us away from the Supreme Person, those desires which lead us away from eternal happiness and push us more and more deeper into the cycle of birth,disease,oldage and death.