As sexual fantasies arise, can we meet them with the question, "What is the practice here?" Are we even willing to practice in this area? From a practice standpoint, we have to see our fantasies for what they are. Most often they're a cover, almost like sucking our thumb. We'll do anything to avoid experiencing the hole of painful longing and loneliness that lies beneath these juicy thoughts. We need to see how unwilling we are to give them up. The more clearly we see our attachment, the more workable our practice is. pg. 18
To read the entire article, click here.
---- Original Message --------
ReplyDeleteSubject: Article in Turning Wheel by Ajahn Thanasanti
From: "Patty Eacobacci"
Date: Tue, April 21, 2009 12:33 am
To: saranaloka.org
---------------------------
Hello,
This message is for Ajahn Thanasanti. I just finished the article
"Celibacy and the Awareness of Sexuality" and I was wondering if ....
sorry if I offend somebody here.... but what does Celibacy mean? Does it mean no sex at all not even masturbation? The whole turning wheel magazine is great but no one comes out and says whether there is masturbation. Apologies again for the directness but I am finding it hard to read between the lines these days and have need to see it in black on white.
In the past few months I have been thinking a lot about celibacy and
even becoming a nun because of my desire to want to dedicate my life to spiritual growth as a career. I have lots of learning since I am so new to all this (Buddhism).
Thank you for considering my question.
Patty
From: Ajahn Thanasanti
Subject: celibacy
Date: April 25, 2009 07:47:59 AM PDT
To: pattyeacobacci
Dear Patty,
Your question is a fair one. I do believe in the original article it is delineated that celibacy means no intentional sexual activity. This includes masturbation and any other form of intentional sexual stimulation.
I hope this answers your question.
--
Metta,
Thanasanti
www.awakeningtruth.org