Spirituality And Celibacy
Question: Is it necessary to be celibate in order to discover God? Do we have to do without sex?
Adonis: We are faced with one of the most controversial words in human history. It is truly amazing that such a small three letter word brings about so much discomfort just to speak of it. Sex is the one thing most of us are so consumed with on every level of existence and yet no one is willing to discuss it at all. Throughout the whole world, all the religions and all the school systems avoid this topic as much as possible. So, I would like to go deep into this one thing that has us in its grip. Why are we so terrified to even talk about sex which may or may not have any recreational meaning? And I wonder why we are so obsessed with sex. We all may understand the need for clean air to breath, pure water to drink, wholesome food to eat and sufficient exercise which contributes to ones health, vigor and vitality. But what is the role of sex in our everyday lives? Is it a necessity? No one will resist the fact that sex is a natural act. It is not an action to be rejected but understood. Surely, that is the wise thing to comprehend. In the understanding of sex one finds freedom. So one may have sex or not have sex. Why be obsessed with it? Whether one decides to have sex or not, that depends on you. Let no one coerce or persuade you in any way. No rules, no regulations, I leave this up to you and your own understanding. Many may advocate moderation but what do you know about moderation when you are raised in a society where promiscuity is so prominent and chastity is a thing of obscurity.
In our thoughts, lustful desires and sensual pleasures, much energy is consumed. Why lose all this vital energy for a mere momentary gratification that will become a memory? In a single act, one loses such a great amount of essential energy. Have you ever thought about why one should have sexual experience at all? Have you ever wondered what is the profit and does it have any meaning at all? We all may understand the need for sex in procreation. That is understandable. What I am asking is; does it have any meaning to have sex as recreation? Of course, sex in and of itself is considered a very normal and natural thing. That is not the issue. I am asking; why should I ever have sex? And if I have ever had sex, why should I ever have it again besides the reason of procreation.
Now, perhaps, there may come a time when you are interested in fully understanding yourself. And as a part of understanding oneself, there is sex which is an integral part of ones life. Now, can I be obsessed with something and at the same time understand it? As long as I indulge in sex without understanding it, I am a slave to a passion I do not know. I am not concerned with what anyone says about sex, I want to understand it for myself. Irrespectively of what all the religions say or my parents say or my professor says. I want to understand it without all the ignorance’s, taboos and fears.
I am not interested in suppressing the sexual urge or cramping myself with the idea of renouncing. The nature of sex cannot be renounced. It is to see that sex is a potent energy that may become distorted if one denies or indulges in ones nature, thoughtlessly. I must watch it within myself without any censorship so I may see and understand the full meaning of the sexual impulse. Only in the understanding of sex can you be free of such a fixation.
When one is ready to discover something truly divine there is that need for the conservation of all ones energy. And sexual energy is very potent. One does not have to become celibate. It is not a choice but an outcome when one is determined to seek something that transcends oneself and ones desires. It is up to you when you see the importance of conserving necessary energy to go beyond oneself.
Celibacy, if one is interested in such a thing, is not about pushing oneself into some unnatural cause or vow, it is a movement of freedom of being drawn to something higher, greater than pleasure and its entanglements. Celibacy is the lifestyle of redirecting ones sexual energies by conserving and not projecting it outwardly. Of course, sexual abstinence creates preservation of energy and develops intense sensitivity of the mind and body. When there is the essence of love in which there is keen sensitivity, lustfulness ceases. Lustful emotions creates chaos within the physical body that throws off ones equilibrium if one does not understand the full implications of the sex act and all it consists of. With such pleasure there is also pain. And part of maturity is to respect oneself and be aware of the possible consequences. In sex there is the possibility of contracting a disease, pregnancy and emotional attachment. The frustration, possessiveness, jealousy and emotional dependency all must be understood as being part of the whole act. Of course, prevention is greater than cure.
The art of celibacy redirects the sexual urge and energy before it comes into being. It is the science of conserving energy through vigilance. It is the desire to channel all ones being inwardly through contemplation before the need of sublimation. In celibacy, there is the alchemy of the sexual energy to convert ones potency towards immortality. It is the conversion of the sexual energy that transforms the physical and mental into holiness. In spirituality, celibacy is not about avoiding or refraining from sex but because one is interested in discovering the sublime. It is to cease, even temporarily, from sex to preserve and not repress. Through acute vigilance, one watches and regulates the process of the sexual urge and all its demands preferably before the desire comes into being. The understanding comes without effort when one ceases identification of body and ego to seek that which transcends mere pleasurable gratification.
As a preference, celibacy is a movement of freedom and empowerment, but when forced and strained, it is a destructive act of control and desire for the opposite of pleasure. The act of celibacy is an expression of chastity free of the confinement of the mundane to discover the mystical. Then one may awaken a great hidden power within. The activation of certain latent powers must be handled with great care. The fuel needed to carry out such an adventure is gravely needed to insure its ascent into the spiritual realm. This power is greater than anything you could ever imagine. In fact, the process that utilizes ones sexual energy is one of the greatest spiritual secrets of all. In the sublimation and transformation of all ones energy, there is the saturation and sensitivity of ones whole being to prepare it for the awakening within. With the totality of ones energy, the consummation of all energy is utilized in the union with the Beloved. In this awakening there is bliss without measure. There is the fullness of understanding and the perfume of love, beauty and immeasurable bliss beyond imagination.
ADONIS ALEXANDER
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