Martial Arts and Brahmacharya

QUESTION: Hi Dhananjay , I am a dedicated practioner of Taekwondo and I am looking to boost my performance physically mentally and spiritually in this art form and life in general. I have practiced brahmacharya in the past up to 4 months last year. And the power and confidence on every level seemed to improve. But then I lost it all due to heavy loss of the seed.

So I know without doubt that brahmacharya is useful Even though every forum will tell you its ok to lose your seed before a fight it won't affect you but it does. You would have to be a fool to not notice the difference why do they say such things?

This memory of the power is haunting me and I feel I need to accomplish something great in my life.

I have studied alot about chi energy, prana etc it seems to be all interconnected. I have great interest in self development. And also practice meditation occasionly. So my main question is what can I expect in the periods of say 6months to 1year and beyond. With strict adherence to the principles of Brahmacharya and meditation. Will my performance and strengh continue to grow? And is it true that one can gain paranormal abilties through such strict discipline? I am 21 years old
Matthew

ANSWER: Hello Matthew,

Nice to hear from you. Coming to your queries,

Q1: Why is there much media hype stating sex/loss of semen is good for health?
A: The subject of 'Sex' has been made into a tool by all forms of media from ads, movies, newspapers, magazines, journals and even the field of medicine to market things on a wide spread scale. The rationale behind this is very simple - Sex sells. Applying the concept of sexuality right from educational ads to HR practices ensures that the advertiser is guaranteed attention and a possible interest in the product from the public. This is the result of growth of perverse culture in the society around us. More and more indulgence in recreational sexuality makes man stoop to lower and grosser levels and finally drowns him in the cesspit of lust and ignorance which leads to ill health, insanity, violence and sheer sorrow. The smart man wishing health, happiness, peace, prosperity and spiritual bliss turns a blind eye to these 'tricks' employed by the people/media and focuses his energies into conservation of the seed that bestows him with unimaginable strength, power, ability and God-bliss. It would do well for the martial artist or fighter to remember the Heavy weight boxer Mohammed Ali's words - " The man who loses semen before a fight has already lost the fight while losing the fluid". One can logically imagine the power and superlative abilities that can be gained if semen is never ever lost and is instead transmuted into 'Ojas'. There is nothing beyond the reach of such a man. But this great power can be mastered only after a minimum of 12 years of unbroken celibacy. Words fail to describe the wonders of even short periods of seminal transmutation.

Q2: What can the Brahmachari expect from a year of unbroken Brahmacharya?
A: A year of unbroken Brahmacharya ensures that purification starts at the physical and mental levels giving the person greater energy, indefatigableness, perennial freshness, a glowing face, excellent health, power and freedom from most chronic health problems at the physical level. At the mental level, one develops better memory, keen understanding, ability to grasp concepts quickly, a calmer and peaceful mental state and most importantly a general sense of happiness and savor at life. The aspirant becomes less prone to irritation, agitation and weakness due to the abundance of 'Prana' or vital energy within his system that is being conserved. This provides him with a foundation to excel in whatever form of activity he wishes to endeavor upon.

There is one very important thing that anyone who is interested in celibacy should know - Mere abstinence from sex/masturbation/contact with the opposite sex does not amount to Brahmacharya and will not give concrete results. What is more important is to channelize the conserved fluid into the brain and create 'Ojas'. This is possible through a life of pure thought, word and deed at the mental plane, regular physical exercise at the physical plane and constant God meditation at the causal plane. All these three are important. Lack of any one of the three makes the fluid flow out. Brahmacharya bears fruit only when carried out with entirety at the mental level. This mental Brahmacharya which means non-entertainment of any form of sexually related thoughts including anger, attachment, greed, arrogance and jealousy is the key for success. Due to constant indulgence in sexual thought/activity it becomes second nature for semen to flow downward. In reality the natural course of semen is to flow upward. This is how it functions in an Urdhvaretha yogi. He makes it flow downward and outward only when he wants offspring. All other times, by default, the fluid flows up to the body/brain and provides him with superb abilities in all domains. All of us can become Urdhvaretha Yogis. What is required is an iron will, determination and desire to conserve the most important part of ourselves. To retain, conserve, transmute and derive benefit from the nectar of nectars, the essences of essences - The vital fluid called semen.

'Praanayaama' or the control of 'Prana' through special breathing techniques is a very important tool in achieving unbroken Brahmacharya. This concept is well recognized even among the Japanese and the Chinese martial artists who indulge in special forms of breathing and meditation before a fight to clear the mind of undulations, focus energies for the fight and bring themselves into a calm and serene yet highly alert state of focus before the fight begins. Being a martial artist, you might well know that the logical, clever, calm, composed, confident and cool fighter wins the bout and not one who is angry, irritated, anxious and hasty. All the above mentioned qualities that make a winner can be accrued only from abundance of 'Prana' or 'Chi'- the vital power and this vital power stems from none other than the vital life giving seed present in semen. The true Brahmachari can thus excel in any form of activity further to efficient practice and can have an edge which the non-Brahmachari heavily lacks. From scriptural references and from the lives of people who have followed such unbroken Brahmacharya beyond 12 years, we get to see that they developed powers and abilities that would be classified 'superhuman' in the eyes of the common man.

At the personal level and to start with, you can carry out a simple experiment:- " Be celibate for a period of 15 days abhorring from all forms of sex/masturbation/sexual stimulation/arousal keeping the mind pure and relaxed, yet focussed on martial arts with a 15 minute prayer/meditation to God every day to help you achieve spectacular success". When you meditate, ensure that it is either very early in the morning or at 6.00 P.M in the evening in a dark or dimly lit room free from sounds, sights and distractions.

We shall carry forward this discussion based on your report after a fortnight :-)

Kindly go through all the past answers on this portal to widen you awareness on the different aspects of Brahmacharya.

God bless and have a nice day
Dhananjay

[an error occurred while processing this directive]---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dhananjay, Thank you for your quick and very informative answer. I have been through all of the previous posts and am up to speed. I am already 11 days in and I feel the power starting to return it feels great. If there is anything positve that have come out of my previous falls is that I know exactly what causes the descent and have listed them down and thoroughly examined them.

Though there is one thing that happened during my 4 months of brahmacharya that I will need you advice on. Towards the 3 month period my strength and endurance shot through the roof and it was observed by my friends at the gym and at the dojo. The first week was fine they didnt seem to mind but it was consistant after a few weeks of this I was approached by them and they asked me are you on performance enhancing drugs or steroids. I could not believe what I was hearing. This infuriated me. No it couldn't be that his hard training, dedication and strict discipline caused this to happen, it had to be drugs.

At this point I felt my power peaking to a level I had never experienced before. I got the expression people were intimidated by me and would try to react agressively to me. Most likely it was the anger I was emanating due to the comments made earlier. How do I control this anger when people directly dismiss my hard earned work?

The following week after I was at a party alcohol was involved and I lost my seed then it was down down from there back to my former self. Lost everything I had worked so hard for over the 4 months. It seemed I was put back in the system so to speak and everyone treated me normally again.

But now I have renewed will and not only do I intend to gain the power I had before but to surpass it and to truly see what I am capable of.

Matthew