Contemporary spirituality?
Question
Hi Dhananjay, thank you very much for selflessly sharing your invaluable knowledge.
Contemporary Western teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, and Mooji have helped many people around the world, by opening their eyes to the existence and nature of the spiritual path. Nevertheless, I never hear them talking about the importance of celibacy, and as far is I know, they are not celibate themselves.
Nevertheless I still find these teachers' words very helpful and in my eyes they are clearly much more spiritually awakened than I am. I think the fact that they neglect or ignore the subject of celibacy can mean any of the following things:
- They have very light sexual vasanas themselves, so they haven't experienced sexual desire as an important obstacle. But that still wouldn't fully explain their level of awakening without (I'm guessing) being continent.
- They are 'stuck' at a certain level of awakening themselves, until they realize the importance of celibacy and practice it.
- They are aware of the importance of celibacy, and maybe even practice it secretly, but don't mention it to their students for fear of alienating many of them.
- Maybe sex and loss of semen is much less of an obstacle if it's practiced without emotional attachment to the physical desire, in other words, when sex is a celebration of love and not lust.
What do you think?
Warm regards,
David
Answer
1. Efforts applied to merge the mind into the Atman (self), so as to vacate the Ego and merge into universal consciousness is spirituality. All religions ultimately aim for this objective and not anything else. This cannot be achieved by the one who goes after sexuality, which is 'Asat' (unreal). There is only one truth and hence only one spirituality. It is neither contemporary nor ancient, but the means to realize the truth.
Sexuality is one of the greatest illusions and completely unreal in terms of the absolute. Therefore, no spiritual progress is possible unless one maintains Brahmacharya. It is the foundation for spiritual progress.
2. Brahmacharya is striving to reside in the self as the self, by giving up doership, through surrender to the higher power. He who does so honestly will not lust after recreational sexuality.
The purpose of the sexual act is procreation and not recreation. Extending its purview beyond its rightful purpose ends in suffering. Immaterial of whether the fact is spoke or not spoken, accepted or rejected, the truth does not change, but remains the same.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)