Student: Questions regarding brahmacharya.
Sri Prabhuji: About Sex and Spirituality, I don’t know any connection between Sex and Spirituality. However, spirituality has four dimensions in relation to spiritual life.
Ist dimension : Commitment – Sex is commitment to relationship, children, growing up children. Need to commit for job to earn money. This is where monks are free. This has nothing to do with spirituality but about lifestyle.
IInd dimension :
Physical : Sex is physical activity for animals and even human beings. It is depending on hormonal activity in body.
IIIrd dimension : Mind – Unlike the animals, human beings are more driven by mind for sex. Watching tv, information, craving for company, depression, phantasy leads to sex. This overrides body’s physical capability.
IV dimension : Spiritual. There is word in sanskrit called Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is wrongly translated as celibacy. Brahmacharya means brahmani charitam manasam. Brahman is supreme reality. When the mind is engaged in higher pursuit, lower pursuit will drop. For example scientist in research may forget food and sleep for many days. When mind is focused on higher reality, lower urges of body and mind drop. This is called brahmacharya. On the contrary if somebody is celibate, it does not naturally mean that mind goes to higher reality. It is like saying if somebody does not sleep for 3 days and does not take food for 3 days, he will do research !!. Some of the so called spiritual pursuits are of this nature. Need to be careful about the real meaning of Brahmacharya. Now if someone has sexual issue what is the solution? Physical dimension of sex is very negligible. Psychological dimension – mind dimension is the real problem in human beings. By spending mind on spiritual pursuit, meditation, mind calms down. Gradually there is a dropping of desires of body and mind since the mind experiences deep bliss of the Self. This is a natural way. We need to understand the difference between – suppression, sublimation and transcendence. Suppression of sex is dangerous. You might have seen criminals committing violence, soldiers committing violence, even crimes in monasteries. These are due to suppression of sex. Sublimation of sex happens when the mind is engaged in higher pursuit – for example research, spirituality, meditation. Transcendence of sex happens when enlightenment takes place. I do not advise suppression. I advice sublimation and transcendence of sex for you.