Laundebaaz
19th July 2006, 08:52 PM
Bluffmaster: Many yogis talk about conserving sexual energy in name of celibacy or Brahmacharya. Is it really necessary for spiritual upliftment? Do you think it is possible for the modern man who is bombarded with sexual messages from media all the time?
Swami Sambhoganand:.....Yes, it is true that it is the same cosmic energy that is present in living beings as the sex force. This energy is considered as sacred, something that is worthy of being worshipped, not frittered away. The normal logic is that any sense experience consumes prana. It is also considered logical that higher spiritual pursuits need lots of prana and hence any activity that depletes the pranic levels is not recommended. It is said that celibacy ensures the abundance of prana to the seeker. But, many modern sexologist laugh at this traditional view of conserving sexual energy, saying that it is an affluent that will find its way out, any way! For the modern man, it is better to trade the middle path. Indulge in it if you like, but without the guilt attached to it. Preserve it if it is possible for you. It is always better to control and discipline our senses gradually, only through understanding and not abruptly. In any case the truth is not in the extremes. It is always better to follow the middle path! It is true that all our Rishis were married and lived a balanced sex life, and still attained to greatest heights in spirituality.
Bluffmaster: Is sexual indulgence against spirituality?
Swami Sambhoganand......Modern mind has lots of influences from many resources. In ancient India when khajuraho temples and kamasutra treatise developed, men and women were equal participants in the sexual act. That is how the word “sambhog” has come. Sama – Bhoga means equal enjoyment! Sex was considered very creative, not only from procreation point of view but recreation as well. It was not something to be done away with but an event to be celebrated, a road which led to ecstasy and finally nirvana for both the participants.
"Hindu philosophy is truly holistic as it speaks of four purusharthas: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Kama means desire, including sexual desire. Thus the path to moksha or liberation is through the experience of kama. In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: "I'm omnipresent but in the human body, I take the form of desire, particularly sexual desire." Maithunam paramam tatvam, shrushti stithi anya karanam….( Coitus is the ultimate principle behind creation, preservation and destruction of the Universe), said Lord Shiva in the Kailas Tantra.
In fact ancient Indian scriptures held both abstinence and Tantra as valid ways for achieving nirvana! Tantra recommends indulgence with awareness. Tantra says, indulge but with awareness! Indulge to such an extent that you have no further desire left. Now this is fraught with danger! It is for the brave and the resolute because you are not aware enough; you have a high probability of sinking deeper into the quagmire instead of rising above it.
Trantric philosophy holds that sexually man is required to move through four stages. These are auto sexuality (age 0-7), homosexuality (age 7-14), heterosexuality (age 14-42) and asexuality from then onwards.
Unlike physical aging, the sexual stages depend upon us, but this is the pattern that nature wanted to follow. At 42, man's obsession for sex will leave him. He may still have sex but he will be detached. He will have attained a natural celibacy. At this stage his spiritual attainment too, will reach its climax, because he is evolved in every way.
Bluffmaster: Can healthy sexuality lead to spiritual experiences?
Swami Sambhoganand.........In a committed relationship where love and trust are the basic pillars of relationship, it is possible to remove all the masks and be totally vulnerable. When this happens, and it is most likely to happen during sexual encounter, if you are fully aware and meditative, it is possible for the energy to be activated. By channeling the sexual energy through various charkas, you can reach levels of ecstasy where meeting and merging takes place. It is a kind of divine experience through your partner! Such an experience creates a bridge between the left and the right hemispheres of the brain, fusing the logic of the left with the intuition of the right. It is this fusion that creates the experience of ecstasy in which body, mind, heart and spirit all participate together!
When a loving couple enters in a deep sexual embrace in meditative mood, with the whole body and whole being, the mind stops! The consciousness becomes clear and fresh that throws you in a quality called innocence. This is the experience of divinity!
Swami Sambhoganand:.....Yes, it is true that it is the same cosmic energy that is present in living beings as the sex force. This energy is considered as sacred, something that is worthy of being worshipped, not frittered away. The normal logic is that any sense experience consumes prana. It is also considered logical that higher spiritual pursuits need lots of prana and hence any activity that depletes the pranic levels is not recommended. It is said that celibacy ensures the abundance of prana to the seeker. But, many modern sexologist laugh at this traditional view of conserving sexual energy, saying that it is an affluent that will find its way out, any way! For the modern man, it is better to trade the middle path. Indulge in it if you like, but without the guilt attached to it. Preserve it if it is possible for you. It is always better to control and discipline our senses gradually, only through understanding and not abruptly. In any case the truth is not in the extremes. It is always better to follow the middle path! It is true that all our Rishis were married and lived a balanced sex life, and still attained to greatest heights in spirituality.
Bluffmaster: Is sexual indulgence against spirituality?
Swami Sambhoganand......Modern mind has lots of influences from many resources. In ancient India when khajuraho temples and kamasutra treatise developed, men and women were equal participants in the sexual act. That is how the word “sambhog” has come. Sama – Bhoga means equal enjoyment! Sex was considered very creative, not only from procreation point of view but recreation as well. It was not something to be done away with but an event to be celebrated, a road which led to ecstasy and finally nirvana for both the participants.
"Hindu philosophy is truly holistic as it speaks of four purusharthas: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Kama means desire, including sexual desire. Thus the path to moksha or liberation is through the experience of kama. In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: "I'm omnipresent but in the human body, I take the form of desire, particularly sexual desire." Maithunam paramam tatvam, shrushti stithi anya karanam….( Coitus is the ultimate principle behind creation, preservation and destruction of the Universe), said Lord Shiva in the Kailas Tantra.
In fact ancient Indian scriptures held both abstinence and Tantra as valid ways for achieving nirvana! Tantra recommends indulgence with awareness. Tantra says, indulge but with awareness! Indulge to such an extent that you have no further desire left. Now this is fraught with danger! It is for the brave and the resolute because you are not aware enough; you have a high probability of sinking deeper into the quagmire instead of rising above it.
Trantric philosophy holds that sexually man is required to move through four stages. These are auto sexuality (age 0-7), homosexuality (age 7-14), heterosexuality (age 14-42) and asexuality from then onwards.
Unlike physical aging, the sexual stages depend upon us, but this is the pattern that nature wanted to follow. At 42, man's obsession for sex will leave him. He may still have sex but he will be detached. He will have attained a natural celibacy. At this stage his spiritual attainment too, will reach its climax, because he is evolved in every way.
Bluffmaster: Can healthy sexuality lead to spiritual experiences?
Swami Sambhoganand.........In a committed relationship where love and trust are the basic pillars of relationship, it is possible to remove all the masks and be totally vulnerable. When this happens, and it is most likely to happen during sexual encounter, if you are fully aware and meditative, it is possible for the energy to be activated. By channeling the sexual energy through various charkas, you can reach levels of ecstasy where meeting and merging takes place. It is a kind of divine experience through your partner! Such an experience creates a bridge between the left and the right hemispheres of the brain, fusing the logic of the left with the intuition of the right. It is this fusion that creates the experience of ecstasy in which body, mind, heart and spirit all participate together!
When a loving couple enters in a deep sexual embrace in meditative mood, with the whole body and whole being, the mind stops! The consciousness becomes clear and fresh that throws you in a quality called innocence. This is the experience of divinity!