I can't claim to be an expert, but one of the central tenets of Buddhism seems to be that desire is the cause of suffering, and that one should strive to let go of desire. Pretty obvious parallels to some flavors of chastity.
This could be an interesting topic to debate. I will prerequisite this comment with making you aware that I have spent 4 days in a Buddhist Temple mingling among devote lifelong Buddhists. Sure this sort of topic about sex never came up but I did learn a great deal about their devotion to their way of life. Here is my guess. I think that our desire for chastity IS in and of itself a desire of sorts. Buddhists believe in natural things. Sex and sex drive is natural. Denying the natural urge to reproduce would be a compulsion of sorts in and of itself. Sure I bet that they practice restraining themselves from lustful thoughts but there is no doubt in my mind that they do partake in plenty of pleasurable and consensual sexual pleasures because it is natural to be in-tune with the body. It is normal to fulfill the bodies desire for sexual release. Buddhists do in fact quite enjoy nature and all of its fruits.
Buddhism teaches letting go of desire. but aren't we increasing desire by denying ourselves an orgasm?
Hmmmm, perhaps a Taoist approach would be better since we chastised types love our suffering? The cage envelopes the striving ideas of lust and chastity? Where is Caradine at a moment like this, shouldn't he be walking into the saloon now...? (If you get that reference, you're old)
Correct about having no desire. But this is tricky since you are desiring to not have desires. This is a topic discussed in Buddhism. Having no desires is extremely difficult. But, in IMO, I believe it's really the attachment to the desire that's the key. If you desire something but don't care if you get it or not, the outcome of this desire doesn't affect you. Without desire, without wanting to do something, you would have no direction in life, so desire is essential, even if it's the desire to follow someone else's desire. FYI Buddhism is big on non-ejaculation, using the sexual energy and life force of the semen for spitirual growth, so everyone here is ahead of the game.
sure: http://www.american-buddha.com/kalachak.htm (and other if you search the web for: < Kalachakra Tantra ejaculation > Search down to the "Four 'higher' secret initiations" I don't explain this stuff, nor ascribe to it, I merely read the news as the teleprompter scrolls it
firstly let me start by saying thanks for this article and I understand these are not your views/beliefs. I read the article I was very confused. than I went to the root domain and my confusions were somewhat clarified. best I can tell its 1% Buddhism mixed with lot of gobbadygoo as a teenager I read the three books of Buddhist teachings (Tripitaka). was a while back but considering my interest in chastity, I'm certain I would have remembered mention of the topic. one of the quotes from the article "the lost sperm should be removed from the mudra’s vagina with the finger or tongue and subsequently drunk by the practitioner" (Source) - wow, please don't trust this article. sound like a ramblings of a mad man. this got nothing to do with Buddhism. not original teachings at least
Chastiff, All major religions preach abstinence or celibacy to promote spiritual growth. If you really want to use chastity for intense growth, check out tantra yoga. It uses your sexual energy for higher purposes. You can have as much sexual pleasure as you want as long as you don't ejaculate. This is similar to the Chinese Taoism, preserving your chi, or life force. Sexual pleasure, which along with semen is the life force, and it is the strongest force in a male or female and its energy can be converted into more spiritual realms. So while most religions reject sex and sexual pleasure, tantra yoga encourages it, using it for higher purposes. Later the pleasure of (not having) an orgasm (or I should say ejaculation, since many here know there is a difference between orgasms and ejaculation) is replaced by more pleasurable sensations. So in the long run, tantric yoga (also known as neo-tantric or white tantric yoga) is not about more sex, but using it to move past normal sex into higher realms of pleasure and bliss. This is not achieved by just preventing ejaculation alone, but by other yoga practices like meditation and breathing techniques. Tantra is the fastest yoga path to spiritual growth, because of it's powerful use of the sexual life force. Because sex is involved, tantra has gotten a bad rap, and because it it so powerful, it's been hidden from the public for literally thousands of years. With the Internet, the tantric teachings are now available. FYI Buddhism and tantra are quite related. Just google the two and you'll see. PM me if you want more info. dboy
Chastiff, I just glanced over the above mentioned article. It's typical of very early teachings and is a very conservative approach geared for a different audience. There are many more modern approaches to both Buddhism and tantric yoga that are geared towards Western audiences and are just as effective in their results. Tantric yoga is actually extremely easy to do to be able to yield incredible results. The big 'admission fee' is to be able to live with limited ejaculations, and that is too much for most people. dboy
One of the tenets of Buddhism is abstention. They also think that masturbation is a negative waste of energy. Can't say I've reached Nirvana yet (other than the Band) but I've more energy & need less sleep.
"...really? I just can't wait to be free and grab that feller and... oh, erm, uh... I'll get me coat"
Hi. I'm a Buddhist and have been studying for about 10 years so I think I can give a good answer. We Buddhists are not opposed to desire, just to desire for things that lead to suffering. Desire for things that lead to happiness are useful desires. What leads to happiness and what to suffering? Well, that is a big topic. We do believe in enlightenment - a state beyond suffering with permanent peace of mind. Desire for anything that distracts us from that goal is an obstacle. But we should not beat our selves up for wanting what we want. We can use our wisdom to look at our desires and decide which ones are an obstacle for ourselves personally and which ones are not. Between here an enlightenment there are many useful small improvements we can make to be come kinder, gentler, and happier people. Useful desires lead us to that. Counter productive desires lead us away from that. Sex can be a big distraction. A lot of energy for ultimately fleeting pleasure. However, regarding this our founder says "Lay or ordained? choose one and practice to enlightenment". "Single or with partner? choose one and practice to enlightenment". We all have our own situation in life and our own desires. Buddhism does not require that we upset our situation (unless we decide that is really for the best) or deny our desires. We can use any situation for practice. However, with time and practice our desires may change. And that is a sign that our understanding and intention is changing. I find it best if this happen naturally and is not forced. So, sexual pleasure or chastity from sexual pleasure? Choose what is right for you and practice being a good, kind, gentle person. As for tantric practice, generally tantric practice is mis-understood. Within tantra there are some sexual practices. Sex obsessed western culture has taken these out of context and used them for different ends. I understand that if one is highly realized and mainly wishes for bliss of enlightenment one can engage in some practices that use sexual bliss to propel one to deeper realizations. But if one still has significant desire for sexual bliss this will end up being just a way to get off with some spiritual trappings and not an actual spiritual practice. We are given non-sexual way to practice tantra. We get into too much trouble with the sexual practices. Which is not to say that I don't get off with trappings. But the trappings are related to dominance control, and chastity and I'm clear about what I'm doing. I'm having fun.