How stupid it would be to think about the “after life,” which is uncertain and unknown and give-up the present life, at hand, following some stupid priests? It has nothing to do with your right or wrong, it is natural and the necessity of the body and soul, for every being. Nature wholeheartedly designs the human body for the propagation of the species.
In fact one can see the eternity during the climax or when one orgasms. I am sure everyone is going to forget all the anxieties, problems and stress during it. It is scientifically proven that having an orgasm relieves you of your stress and also acts as an antidote for few cardiovascular diseases; it’s also a kind of exercise. Note that the temples are places built to encourage and have sexual intercourse in the ancient India; even the Siva Linga signifies the male genital organ.
The Siddhartha of Lumbini embraced celibacy after he fathered a son, and going through all the relationships, marital bliss. He couldn’t find solace in all of them and gave them up and gave in to celibacy. The circumstances that had guided him in embracing celibacy, the reasons that made him follow a certain set of principles is more important, which may or may not exist now. So, it’s not true that each and every individual could find solace and peace by following the same principles. Don’t be pathological, he might not know the ways to enjoy and find solace except celibacy or he might have become Cypridophobic, fear of sexual intercourse. Celibacy is not a virtue for all.
Life is multidimensional. One should accept to enjoy, celebrate and rejoice in it. Celebration is the highest growth of consciousness, expression and manifestation. Some of the ancestors might not have found any enjoyment in sex and started practicing celibacy. It’s just might be the case of Siddhartha or Gowtham Budda or even Mahatma Gandhi, who practiced Brahmacharya. Gandhi even made experiments to test his celibacy, restraints etc., by sleeping naked with wives of his close followers, and even with his grand nieces.
So, don’t take it for granted, that celibacy is the way Hinduism is built. The success - howsoever temporary - of the fake swamis exposes the alarming levels of ignorance in society. Just start trusting yourself again. Once you start trusting your own being, no politician, no priest can exploit you. I prefer trusting something that has shown proof in the past rather than some random faith that promises to give me something after my body parts stop functioning.
Leonardo da Vinci puts all this from the artist’s perspective: “The art of procreation and the members employed therein is so repulsive, that if it were not for the beauty of the faces and the adornments of the actors and the pent-up impulse, Nature would lose the human species.”
for additional reading... visit How long can you last without sex?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Spirituality & Sex - II
Spirituality is not the state or quality of being dedicated to God, and not an integral aspect of a religion. It emphasizes complete inner freedom and responsibility of the individual to himself, demanding no superficial behavioral changes, but a deeper, inner transformation. Desires were to be transcended, accepted and surpassed rather than denied. An individual with spiritual outlook is one who is more personalized, less structured, more open to new ideas and more pluralistic than that of the doctrinal faiths of organized religions.
Forced celibacy was not just wrong, it was damaging to the soul of man. It was against man's natural instincts and his essential nature, independent of any religion. In fact a religion should be an art that should show us the way to enjoy life, but the orthodox religions are dead, filled with rituals, oppressing the followers with fears of damnation and the promise of blessings.
Remember that you are not granted life and are not answerable to anyone after your death. One should not be a victim of fear psychosis as is done in all religions, to worship God or fear God to avoid hell, gratify God by practicing rituals, and lead a life that is laid out in some book to go to heaven- to avoid hell. In this way, they had denied and destroyed life. In the name of religion, man was exploited. They made man afraid, made man feel unworthy, made man feel guilty, made man feel that he is just on the verge of hell. All this was done to make you to do what they wanted to and make yourself believe in life after death.
How to make man so afraid? The only way is: condemn life, condemn whatsoever is natural. Condemn sexual intercourse because it is the fundamental of life; condemn food because that is the second fundamental of life; condemn relationship, family, friendship, because that is the third fundamental of life -- and go on condemning. Whatsoever is natural to man, condemn it, say it is wrong: "If you do it you will suffer for it. If you don't do it you will be rewarded. Hell is going to descend on you if you go on living naturally" -- that is the message of the whole past -- "and heaven will be given to you if you go against life." Everyone was fooled by saying that life was ugly and sowed ideas of life after death, by teaching them celibacy and all. On the path of salvation, celibacy is not a prerequisite but a consequence – an effortless by-product. Celibacy is a kind of birth of consciousness and not a moral given, as most sermons would have us believe.
Thus, if you give your life, if you are suicidal, only then God will accept you. If you slowly commit suicide in the senses, in the body, in the mind, in the heart, and you go on destroying yourself, and the more you succeed in destroying yourself, the more you will become beloved to God. One shouldn't drop the idea of sexuality because it is told be a hindrance for entering heaven.
More on these lines in the next post
with some ideas of Osho Rajneesh...
Forced celibacy was not just wrong, it was damaging to the soul of man. It was against man's natural instincts and his essential nature, independent of any religion. In fact a religion should be an art that should show us the way to enjoy life, but the orthodox religions are dead, filled with rituals, oppressing the followers with fears of damnation and the promise of blessings.
Remember that you are not granted life and are not answerable to anyone after your death. One should not be a victim of fear psychosis as is done in all religions, to worship God or fear God to avoid hell, gratify God by practicing rituals, and lead a life that is laid out in some book to go to heaven- to avoid hell. In this way, they had denied and destroyed life. In the name of religion, man was exploited. They made man afraid, made man feel unworthy, made man feel guilty, made man feel that he is just on the verge of hell. All this was done to make you to do what they wanted to and make yourself believe in life after death.
How to make man so afraid? The only way is: condemn life, condemn whatsoever is natural. Condemn sexual intercourse because it is the fundamental of life; condemn food because that is the second fundamental of life; condemn relationship, family, friendship, because that is the third fundamental of life -- and go on condemning. Whatsoever is natural to man, condemn it, say it is wrong: "If you do it you will suffer for it. If you don't do it you will be rewarded. Hell is going to descend on you if you go on living naturally" -- that is the message of the whole past -- "and heaven will be given to you if you go against life." Everyone was fooled by saying that life was ugly and sowed ideas of life after death, by teaching them celibacy and all. On the path of salvation, celibacy is not a prerequisite but a consequence – an effortless by-product. Celibacy is a kind of birth of consciousness and not a moral given, as most sermons would have us believe.
Thus, if you give your life, if you are suicidal, only then God will accept you. If you slowly commit suicide in the senses, in the body, in the mind, in the heart, and you go on destroying yourself, and the more you succeed in destroying yourself, the more you will become beloved to God. One shouldn't drop the idea of sexuality because it is told be a hindrance for entering heaven.
More on these lines in the next post
with some ideas of Osho Rajneesh...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Spirituality & Sex - I
The recent incidents involving swamis and gurus who are known and recognized for their spiritual being and training had provoked me to think on the connection between celibacy and spirituality. Here are some of my findings based on some facts and my own perspectives. It’s a commonplace agreement in India where people seek guidance from learned or holy individuals the way people elsewhere might consult a psychologist or a counselor.
First of all there is a need to understand the monastic order in Hinduism and its provenance. Hinduism borrowed the concept of monasteries - and its peculiar kind of celibacy - from Buddhism. This was because Buddhism had grown to become one massive umbrella that held vast swathes of the Indian subcontinent in near-total control by the 8th century. When Adi Shankaracharya arrived on the scene to take Sanatan Dharma out of the morass, he selected some of the attributes of Buddhism to reinvent Hinduism.
In other words, there was no concept of renunciation in Hinduism until Shankaracharya arrived, at least not in any organised sort of way. The best that exists in Sanatana philosophy on the subject is Patanjali's statement, 'Swa-ang jugupsa, parai asansargah'. It means that with increasing spiritual insights, with greater realisation, with the mind's constant attachment with truth, there develops apathy for the physical body, and it loses its physical affiliation with others. This is considered a high state of spiritual being, and that is what has made celibacy the plinth of sanyas. Before Shankaracharya, Indian rishis were known to have families and children.
As was the case in any era, most of the people were discontent with their lives. They thought that the natural way of life and the kind of relationships they had were the reasons for their discontent and dissatisfaction and started looking for a new way of life. That’s when Buddhism showed them a new set of principles, ideals and a whole new life. So, most of them were moving to Buddhism from Hinduism. In order to avoid this, same kind of concepts were borrowed to Hinduism by Shankaracharya.
Also, Shankara travelled across India and other parts of South Asia to propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers, which the disciples of Buddha had been doing from centuries. He founded four mathas ("monasteries"), which helped in the historical development, revival and spread of Advaita Vedanta, same on the lines of Buddhist Monastries. So, he merely followed the "market leader" of the time, Buddhism, and in the process institutionalised renunciation to help Hinduism survive the crisis it was in because of the Buddhism
What's truly lamentable about those donning saffron but flouting the principles they erroneously pledged to uphold - including celibacy - is that they have forgotten the deep Sanatana value that their raiment represents. Interestingly, the idea of a single colour garment is also from the Buddhism, which floats yellow for renunciation. Yellow represents the shade of falling leaves in the winter, representing the departure from the world (of desires). So, in order to compete with Buddhism, Shankaracharya found the colour saffron, from the sacrificial fire According to him, anyone who is wearing this saffron robe is sitting on the funeral pyre, burning all his samskaras and making sure that no new ones are added. For it was only after all the samskaras were burnt that vairagya or dispassion could develop, and with it the spiritual insights for which one had made the conscious decision to become a sadhu or a sanyasi.
What do you think would be the reason for all the idols and impressions of erotic and compromising positions in the vast temples of India? Don’t you think that celibacy would finally lead to extinction of human race? Don’t you realise that our ancestors who had written the epics weren’t so stupid to make that happen?
Having understood the origin of celibacy and the significance of saffron, let’s go deeper into the world of spirituality, celibacy and renunciation, in the next post.
First of all there is a need to understand the monastic order in Hinduism and its provenance. Hinduism borrowed the concept of monasteries - and its peculiar kind of celibacy - from Buddhism. This was because Buddhism had grown to become one massive umbrella that held vast swathes of the Indian subcontinent in near-total control by the 8th century. When Adi Shankaracharya arrived on the scene to take Sanatan Dharma out of the morass, he selected some of the attributes of Buddhism to reinvent Hinduism.
In other words, there was no concept of renunciation in Hinduism until Shankaracharya arrived, at least not in any organised sort of way. The best that exists in Sanatana philosophy on the subject is Patanjali's statement, 'Swa-ang jugupsa, parai asansargah'. It means that with increasing spiritual insights, with greater realisation, with the mind's constant attachment with truth, there develops apathy for the physical body, and it loses its physical affiliation with others. This is considered a high state of spiritual being, and that is what has made celibacy the plinth of sanyas. Before Shankaracharya, Indian rishis were known to have families and children.
As was the case in any era, most of the people were discontent with their lives. They thought that the natural way of life and the kind of relationships they had were the reasons for their discontent and dissatisfaction and started looking for a new way of life. That’s when Buddhism showed them a new set of principles, ideals and a whole new life. So, most of them were moving to Buddhism from Hinduism. In order to avoid this, same kind of concepts were borrowed to Hinduism by Shankaracharya.
Also, Shankara travelled across India and other parts of South Asia to propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers, which the disciples of Buddha had been doing from centuries. He founded four mathas ("monasteries"), which helped in the historical development, revival and spread of Advaita Vedanta, same on the lines of Buddhist Monastries. So, he merely followed the "market leader" of the time, Buddhism, and in the process institutionalised renunciation to help Hinduism survive the crisis it was in because of the Buddhism
What's truly lamentable about those donning saffron but flouting the principles they erroneously pledged to uphold - including celibacy - is that they have forgotten the deep Sanatana value that their raiment represents. Interestingly, the idea of a single colour garment is also from the Buddhism, which floats yellow for renunciation. Yellow represents the shade of falling leaves in the winter, representing the departure from the world (of desires). So, in order to compete with Buddhism, Shankaracharya found the colour saffron, from the sacrificial fire According to him, anyone who is wearing this saffron robe is sitting on the funeral pyre, burning all his samskaras and making sure that no new ones are added. For it was only after all the samskaras were burnt that vairagya or dispassion could develop, and with it the spiritual insights for which one had made the conscious decision to become a sadhu or a sanyasi.
What do you think would be the reason for all the idols and impressions of erotic and compromising positions in the vast temples of India? Don’t you think that celibacy would finally lead to extinction of human race? Don’t you realise that our ancestors who had written the epics weren’t so stupid to make that happen?
Having understood the origin of celibacy and the significance of saffron, let’s go deeper into the world of spirituality, celibacy and renunciation, in the next post.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Relationships : Express Yourself
Does any of you was told that “I don’t like the way you think, talk and behave” in just a single statement? Or did you tell any one without beating around the bush? Not many I presume. So, what is it that prevents many to tell a thing that could be told in just a simple sentence, to tell in a paragraph and even more at times? Do they think that the listener is so stupid to understand a simple and single statement? Also, there would be some instants where even one doesn’t tell about their feelings for him/her to the listener. Is it their inherent fear to tell others frankly or the inability to face the reactions and ire of the listener from doing so?
If the answer is fear, then do give your relationship a second thought. For if you are in any kind of relationship, there should be no place for fear and insecurity. If that is the case, then your relationship is not going anywhere, instead it is there where it really started or worsened. So, if you fear your partner, then there is something wrong in the way the relationship is built; may be the foundation is built on compromise, false notions and lies. As I always say, any relationship, friendship or love should be built on mutual trust, honesty and by giving complete freedom to the other.
A friend is one with whom you dare to be yourself, so if you fear to express your feelings; then take it for sure that he/she is not your friend. Also, be mindful of your judgments, for they reveal your own fears and prejudices. Don’t be certain that your opinion will be accepted; not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed without facing it. Go ahead and express your feelings, simple and short. Nothing in the life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Don’t be of the opinion that he/she might learn him/herself or someone else will tell them. Most importantly, don’t accept any of them just because the person concerned is a friend or lover. A bad peace is worse than a war.
Our fear of disasters that may never happen robs us of the courage to meet the ills that do occur.
Once you tell them your feelings and thoughts, it is up to them regarding how they take it. If one is intelligent enough, one would introspect oneself. Remember that its only true friends who can stab you in the front. Don’t curse and blame them for pointing your mistakes or expressing his feelings that hurt you. Just listen to them patiently and give your response verbally and don’t be in haste to break the relationship. Be mature enough to accept one’s own flaws and take the responsibility for your deeds. "Maturity isn’t measured by how you live, look, act, talk or dress. True maturity is measured by the way you respond when faced with a difficult situation."
In fact, they are the ones who tell you what needs to be improved in you so that you become a better individual. There are very few people from whom you could learn about the various short comings in your personality. In order to raise your bar, it is important for you to overcome them. Unless, you don’t know what the short comings are, how do you handle them? So, it is important for you to allow them to be frank enough so that they can speak up their heart and you have a chance to introspect regarding their comments and take necessary steps if required.
Don’t think that you know more about yourself and you are perfect. It is this misconception that prevents us from learning. Respect one’s views and one’s right to express their feelings, desires and the things they hate. Just accept the fact that it is the fundamental right given to every citizen of the nation. Who ever do not know the truth is ignorant, but the one who knows the truth and denies is a criminal. Only an idiot persists in his/her mistakes or errors. Most of the people don’t try to accept the short comings with in them and or even if they accept, they put the blame on others. One tries to avoid the responsibility.
"The toughest opponent you will face ever is the “fear” within. Once you conquer it, you can conquer the world."
A friend is one who wants to help you mentally and spiritually, in building you on noble virtues that he thinks. You decide yourself whether they seem the same to you or not, after all everyone should have his/her opinion on the topic of discussion and just shouldn’t accept with out giving a thought. Don’t just go do what someone says, take interest in it, then debate it, ponder it and consider it from all angles. Never obey anyone's command unless it is coming from within you also. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. It is the ability to listen to almost everything without losing one’s temper or self-confidence. Be wise to know yourself, if you can’t accept it from others mouth. The principle mark of genius is not perfection, but originality and open-mindedness.
Everyone speaks well of the heart, but no one dares to say it out of the head. Also,” In order that all men may be taught to speak the truth, it is necessary that all likewise should learn to hear it.”
Courtesy : Airtel, for their caption.
Also Edited by Diwakar...
If the answer is fear, then do give your relationship a second thought. For if you are in any kind of relationship, there should be no place for fear and insecurity. If that is the case, then your relationship is not going anywhere, instead it is there where it really started or worsened. So, if you fear your partner, then there is something wrong in the way the relationship is built; may be the foundation is built on compromise, false notions and lies. As I always say, any relationship, friendship or love should be built on mutual trust, honesty and by giving complete freedom to the other.
A friend is one with whom you dare to be yourself, so if you fear to express your feelings; then take it for sure that he/she is not your friend. Also, be mindful of your judgments, for they reveal your own fears and prejudices. Don’t be certain that your opinion will be accepted; not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed without facing it. Go ahead and express your feelings, simple and short. Nothing in the life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Don’t be of the opinion that he/she might learn him/herself or someone else will tell them. Most importantly, don’t accept any of them just because the person concerned is a friend or lover. A bad peace is worse than a war.
Our fear of disasters that may never happen robs us of the courage to meet the ills that do occur.
Once you tell them your feelings and thoughts, it is up to them regarding how they take it. If one is intelligent enough, one would introspect oneself. Remember that its only true friends who can stab you in the front. Don’t curse and blame them for pointing your mistakes or expressing his feelings that hurt you. Just listen to them patiently and give your response verbally and don’t be in haste to break the relationship. Be mature enough to accept one’s own flaws and take the responsibility for your deeds. "Maturity isn’t measured by how you live, look, act, talk or dress. True maturity is measured by the way you respond when faced with a difficult situation."
In fact, they are the ones who tell you what needs to be improved in you so that you become a better individual. There are very few people from whom you could learn about the various short comings in your personality. In order to raise your bar, it is important for you to overcome them. Unless, you don’t know what the short comings are, how do you handle them? So, it is important for you to allow them to be frank enough so that they can speak up their heart and you have a chance to introspect regarding their comments and take necessary steps if required.
Don’t think that you know more about yourself and you are perfect. It is this misconception that prevents us from learning. Respect one’s views and one’s right to express their feelings, desires and the things they hate. Just accept the fact that it is the fundamental right given to every citizen of the nation. Who ever do not know the truth is ignorant, but the one who knows the truth and denies is a criminal. Only an idiot persists in his/her mistakes or errors. Most of the people don’t try to accept the short comings with in them and or even if they accept, they put the blame on others. One tries to avoid the responsibility.
"The toughest opponent you will face ever is the “fear” within. Once you conquer it, you can conquer the world."
A friend is one who wants to help you mentally and spiritually, in building you on noble virtues that he thinks. You decide yourself whether they seem the same to you or not, after all everyone should have his/her opinion on the topic of discussion and just shouldn’t accept with out giving a thought. Don’t just go do what someone says, take interest in it, then debate it, ponder it and consider it from all angles. Never obey anyone's command unless it is coming from within you also. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. It is the ability to listen to almost everything without losing one’s temper or self-confidence. Be wise to know yourself, if you can’t accept it from others mouth. The principle mark of genius is not perfection, but originality and open-mindedness.
Everyone speaks well of the heart, but no one dares to say it out of the head. Also,” In order that all men may be taught to speak the truth, it is necessary that all likewise should learn to hear it.”
Courtesy : Airtel, for their caption.
Also Edited by Diwakar...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
