MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,549
Spirituality and sexuality have a very complicated relationship, that's varied widely over stretches of place and time, and has often been the subject of intense debate among philosophers and theologians. What's your general take on this relationship?
I really think the Catholic Church has done an incredible disservice to Western Civilization in its fearful approach to all human sexuality. This was just bound to sow the seeds of a large body of Westerners ultimately thinking of all spirituality as the enemy of the sensual and erotic, which in the vast majority of cultures, faiths, and codes of natural law, it most certainly is not! An evolutionary biologist would even agree that a worldview that promotes healthy sexuality has a reproductive advantage over one that doesn't, but I go a step further and see that human sexuality, for most people, is internally consistent with the stated goals of most spiritual systems -- getting in tune with your true nature and finding your place in the bigger picture.
Even many forms of Christianity indigenous to the West are quite sex-positive.
I do think that reckless and poorly thought out sexual activities are a serious impediment to spiritual progress, because they create drama and force you to focus on a lot of petty things you could otherwise ignore and look instead at the big picture, if you life was simpler. Reckless sex can result in great suffering of a great many flavors, not only for you but for other people as well. I really think any mature spiritual tradition that's serious about its members' personal growth and enlightenment, will teach chastity (sex only in situations where it does not risk hurting anyone), and will warn people that sex is something requiring an adult level of judgement and forethought. But any good spiritual tradition will also teach that sex a beautiful thing which can help bind two people, and it's not inherently sinful to enjoy it at all.
Can anyone make a general statement on the Hindu and/or Buddhist view on sex, in your experience? Because both of these traditions are so old and varied in their beliefs and approaches, I doubt there's much general consensus overall, but if you're a fan of Eastern thought, what's been your take?
I really think the Catholic Church has done an incredible disservice to Western Civilization in its fearful approach to all human sexuality. This was just bound to sow the seeds of a large body of Westerners ultimately thinking of all spirituality as the enemy of the sensual and erotic, which in the vast majority of cultures, faiths, and codes of natural law, it most certainly is not! An evolutionary biologist would even agree that a worldview that promotes healthy sexuality has a reproductive advantage over one that doesn't, but I go a step further and see that human sexuality, for most people, is internally consistent with the stated goals of most spiritual systems -- getting in tune with your true nature and finding your place in the bigger picture.
Even many forms of Christianity indigenous to the West are quite sex-positive.
I do think that reckless and poorly thought out sexual activities are a serious impediment to spiritual progress, because they create drama and force you to focus on a lot of petty things you could otherwise ignore and look instead at the big picture, if you life was simpler. Reckless sex can result in great suffering of a great many flavors, not only for you but for other people as well. I really think any mature spiritual tradition that's serious about its members' personal growth and enlightenment, will teach chastity (sex only in situations where it does not risk hurting anyone), and will warn people that sex is something requiring an adult level of judgement and forethought. But any good spiritual tradition will also teach that sex a beautiful thing which can help bind two people, and it's not inherently sinful to enjoy it at all.
Can anyone make a general statement on the Hindu and/or Buddhist view on sex, in your experience? Because both of these traditions are so old and varied in their beliefs and approaches, I doubt there's much general consensus overall, but if you're a fan of Eastern thought, what's been your take?