DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Why sex is not a right action for sangha members?

**SawbasyWrab** · 01-05-2012, 06:49 PM

Hi Deshy,

Buddhism says that Buddha Dhamma are laws of nature. They claim so. Do you agree or not?

Where is the moderation you are talking about? There is a complete absistence for monks from natural human action, that is why I like to point out...Sex is a reality that is where all of us came from. Hapiness is a mundane reality as no one came from the other side of the life yet...

Sexual desire is natural. It is just nature. But that does not mean you have to indulge in it whenever it arises. You sound like you think sex is a need of the body which, if not fulfilled, can cause more harm than good. This maybe the case with you but not necessarily so for people in general. Sex is not a physical need in the same sphere as breathing or eating.

Celibacy is not an abnormal practice. Celibacy is just sense restraint. Knowingly or unknowingly, most of us practice sense restraint by identifying a greater kind of happiness and peace that arise from not engaging in certain kinds of pleasures. For example, we do not have sex with young children even if they are willing. Do you advise fulfilling this natural need every time it arises? Most of us don’t. Similarly, monogamy is sense restraint. So is celibacy. There is nothing “unnatural” about not giving way to all your human desires whenever they arise. There is nothing unnatural about not being a slave to your body’s every need. Having said that, there is nothing inherently unhealthy about sex either. Just pick the best kind of “moderation” to your practice. The choice is yours.

Now the question is, why are monks expected to be celibate and not given a choice to do what they seem fit for their practice, just like lay people? There could be many reasons for this. One is, if a monk accidentally makes a woman pregnant, should he expect the lay supporters to take care of the baby? Is a monk in a position to devote his time to parenting? If he does, then what is the difference between a monk and a lay person?

Monks rely on the lay community for health, food, clothes etc. The reason is because, people who decide to ordain do so in order to devote most of their time to meditative practice. We do not need a lay community to support another community that engages in all kinds of mundane sensual pleasures while dumping all the responsibilities that come with it back to the lay community such as making money, paying taxes, buying medicine, taking care of kids etc. So this social aspect is one reason.

Another reason is that indulgence in mundane sensual pleasures consumes time and energy. A monk devotes most of his time and energy on meditation. That is why he is a monk, in robes, in seclusion. Monks do not let go of all their possessions, worldly pursuits and go into seclusion to spend their time masturbating. They refrain from acts that can quite easily lead to addiction (such as masturbation/porn/sexual fantasies). I think celibacy is very useful to a monk because it is very easy for a person who is quite secluded, lonely and well supported by a lay community to waste his/her time, mental stability and samadhi on sexual indulgences or fantasies.

A monk needs discipline of the five senses to keep his energies focused on the main goal. If you really cannot do without sex, best thing is not to ordain.

01-05-2012, 06:49 PM	#29
SawbasyWrab Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 441 Senior Member	Hi Deshy, Buddhism says that Buddha Dhamma are laws of nature. They claim so. Do you agree or not? Where is the moderation you are talking about? There is a complete absistence for monks from natural human action, that is why I like to point out...Sex is a reality that is where all of us came from. Hapiness is a mundane reality as no one came from the other side of the life yet... Sexual desire is natural. It is just nature. But that does not mean you have to indulge in it whenever it arises. You sound like you think sex is a need of the body which, if not fulfilled, can cause more harm than good. This maybe the case with you but not necessarily so for people in general. Sex is not a physical need in the same sphere as breathing or eating. Celibacy is not an abnormal practice. Celibacy is just sense restraint. Knowingly or unknowingly, most of us practice sense restraint by identifying a greater kind of happiness and peace that arise from not engaging in certain kinds of pleasures. For example, we do not have sex with young children even if they are willing. Do you advise fulfilling this natural need every time it arises? Most of us don’t. Similarly, monogamy is sense restraint. So is celibacy. There is nothing “unnatural” about not giving way to all your human desires whenever they arise. There is nothing unnatural about not being a slave to your body’s every need. Having said that, there is nothing inherently unhealthy about sex either. Just pick the best kind of “moderation” to your practice. The choice is yours. Now the question is, why are monks expected to be celibate and not given a choice to do what they seem fit for their practice, just like lay people? There could be many reasons for this. One is, if a monk accidentally makes a woman pregnant, should he expect the lay supporters to take care of the baby? Is a monk in a position to devote his time to parenting? If he does, then what is the difference between a monk and a lay person? Monks rely on the lay community for health, food, clothes etc. The reason is because, people who decide to ordain do so in order to devote most of their time to meditative practice. We do not need a lay community to support another community that engages in all kinds of mundane sensual pleasures while dumping all the responsibilities that come with it back to the lay community such as making money, paying taxes, buying medicine, taking care of kids etc. So this social aspect is one reason. Another reason is that indulgence in mundane sensual pleasures consumes time and energy. A monk devotes most of his time and energy on meditation. That is why he is a monk, in robes, in seclusion. Monks do not let go of all their possessions, worldly pursuits and go into seclusion to spend their time masturbating. They refrain from acts that can quite easily lead to addiction (such as masturbation/porn/sexual fantasies). I think celibacy is very useful to a monk because it is very easy for a person who is quite secluded, lonely and well supported by a lay community to waste his/her time, mental stability and samadhi on sexual indulgences or fantasies. A monk needs discipline of the five senses to keep his energies focused on the main goal. If you really cannot do without sex, best thing is not to ordain.
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