Sex life and sexual desire
Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire.
PURPORT
It is said in the Manu-smrti that lust cannot be satisfied by any amount of sense enjoyment, just as fire is never extinguished by a constant supply of fuel. In the material world, the center of all activities is sex, and thus this material world is called maithunya-agara, or the shackles of sex life. In the ordinary prison house, criminals are kept within bars; similarly, the criminals who are disobedient to the laws of the Lord are shackled by sex life. Advancement of material civilization on the basis of sense gratification means increasing the duration of the material existence of a living entity. Therefore, this lust is the symbol of ignorance by which the living entity is kept within the material world. While one enjoys sense gratification, it may be that there is some feeling of happiness, but actually that so-called feeling of happiness is the ultimate enemy of the sense enjoyer. Bg 3.39
I am just revisiting one of the subjects I’ve written about simply because it is an important point as our approach should always be one of understanding of the condition of the fallen soul (I.E all of us),
Again we see a stock answer to set questions which can be seen as condemning complete sections of society or of individuals who have fallen down or struggling with certain aspects of spiritual life.
However we forget that we need to develop a spirit of compassion for the fallen souls, that we are all in fact suffering in some way from material existence with one struggle or another.
One of the biggest areas is that of sex life and sexual desire.
We see that devotees still continue to fall into the trap of not realising that the identification of self, body and feelings and the desire of sexual attraction in all its guises, gay lesbian or straight is the same.
We see in Srial Prabhupada’s dealings with the devotees was always one of practicality the feelings were never dismissed or condemned if the person was approaching in a humble and honest manor with practical advice with understanding being given; this is shown clearly by his many purports I like the one above simply because it draws attention to sex life and it’s relation to the prison house we find ourselves in.
We see that in a majority of cases fall downs usually come down to one thing, desire of the material body needing to be satisfied and this usually means sex desire.
Regulation says sex life only for producing good children meaning that we bring them up to be Krishna conscious, but even in marriage were this is allowed we see that it can be a struggle to follow this principle.
I am reminded of Srila Prabhupada’s compassion demonstrated whilst talking to one devotee who was seeing a prostitute the question was asked why he was seeing one; the explination was given that he simply wanted to follow regulation of sex life with his wife but his desire for sex was not satisfied by this.
What was Srila Prabhupada’s reaction? Did he condemn? NO! But his advice was practical taking in to account what was best to help eventually elevate the person from bondage of sex desire.
What about his advice to the early Brahmacarya when that asked about controlling sex desire? Again practical, not condemning but realising this is the condition of all of us fallen souls and it will be a struggle; intelligence is realising this.
We see even further this understanding when it came to those who felt that were born into the wrong sex, ok gender realignment was in its infancy but practicality understanding the identification of feelings the advice was simple choose a sex and stick to it. No Problem.
Ok further understanding and explination shows that this false identification with body and feelings is an impediment to spiritual life.
I had a long talk with several gays and one thing was clear they understood basic biblical teachings but they have these feelings should they deny them? NO!
Krishna Consciousness means that we have to be real with ourselves and others including this our feelings that way we can be guided and helped to elevate ourselves from sex desire and this prison house; which means we neither condemn pass judgment, or exclude.
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Srila Prabhupada:
"If we keep ourselves purely on the standard of Lord Caitanya's order, then the chanting of the Holy Names will descend as powerfully as during the time of Jagai and Madhai."
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Re: Sex life and sexual desire
Like many in ISKCON, I'm interested in making bhakti available to the masses, but am unclear as to how to do this without diluting (i.e., "watering down") Srila Prabhupada's pure teachings.
Srila Prabhupada writes in The Path of Perfection:
"Yoga does not mean going to some class, paying some money, engaging in gymnastics, and then returning home to drink, smoke, and engage in sex. Such yoga is practiced by societies of the cheaters and the cheated...If one tells you that you can indulge in sex as much as you like and at the same time become a yogi, he is cheating you. If some so-called guru tells you to give him money in exchange for some mantra and that you can go on and engage in all kinds of nonsense, he is just cheating you. Because we want something sublime and yet want it cheaply, we put ourselves in a position to be cheated...if we want perfection in yoga, we have to pay for it by abstaining from sex.
"Perfection in yoga is not something childish, and Bhagavad-gita instructs us that if we try to make yoga into something childish, we will be cheated. There are many cheaters awaiting us, waiting to take our money, giving us nothing, and then leaving."
The apostle Paul similarly taught his followers to bless their persecutors and not curse them (Romans 12:14), to care for their enemies by providing them with food and drink (12:20), and to pay their taxes and obey all earthly governments (13:1-7). He mentioned giving all his belongings to feed the hungry (I Corinthians 13:3), and taught giving to the person in need (Ephesians 4:23). He told his followers it was wrong to take their conflicts before non-Christian courts rather than before the saints. (I Corinthians 6:1)
Paul taught that "it is good for a man not to touch a woman," i.e., it is best to be celibate, but because of prevailing immoralities, marriage is acceptable. Divorce is permissible in the case of an unbeliever demanding separation. (I Corinthians 7)
Paul repeatedly attacked sexual immorality: "This is God's will--your sanctification, that you keep yourselves from sexual immorality, that each of you learn how to take his own wife in purity and honor, not in lustful passion like the gentiles who have no knowledge of God." (I Thessalonians 4:3-5)
Paul told his followers not to associate with sexually immoral people (I Corinthians 5:9-12, 6:15,18). He condemned homosexuality (Romans 1:24-27) and incest (I Corinthians 5:1).
"Make no mistake," warned Paul, "no fornicator or idolater, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion, no thieves or grabbers or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers, will possess the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10 [NEB])
Paul condemned wickedness, immorality, depravity, greed, murder, quarreling, deceit, malignity, gossip, slander, insolence, pride (Romans 1:29-30), drunkenness, carousing, debauchery, jealousy (Romans 13:13), sensuality, magic arts, animosities, bad temper, selfishness, dissensions, envy (Galatians 5:19-21; greediness (Ephesians 4:19; Colossians 3:5), foul speech, anger, clamor, abusive language, malice (Ephesians 4:29-32), dishonesty (Colossians 3:13), materialism (I Timothy 6:6-11), conceit, avarice, boasting and treachery. (II Timothy 3:2-4)
Paul told the gentiles to train themselves for godliness, to practice self-control and lead upright, godly lives (Galatians 5:23; I Timothy 4:7; II Timothy 1:7; Titus 2:11-12). He instructed them to ALWAYS pray constantly. (I Thessalonians 5:17)
Paul praised love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, fidelity and gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23). He told his followers to conduct themselves with humility and gentleness (Ephesians 4:2), to speak to one another in psalms and hymns; to sing heartily and make music to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)
Paul wrote further that women should cover their heads while worshiping, and that long hair on males is dishonorable. (I Corinthians 11:5-14) According to Paul, Christian women are to dress modestly and prudently, and are not to be adorned with braided hair, gold or pearls or expensive clothes. (I Timothy 2:9)
If Christians actually followed the above teachings, they would resemble Krishna devotees!
Again, I'm interested in making bhakti available to the masses, but am unclear as to how to do this without diluting (i.e., "watering down") Srila Prabhupada's pure teachings.