Sexuality has traditionally been seen as an enemy of spirituality. However, another relationship is possible and we can learn from some of the cultures that had it.
Sexuality has always been the archenemy of religious and spiritual doctrines. All across the globe, from Buddhist monasteries to Christian churches and Muslim mosques, the sex drive of human is routinely considered the lowliest form of existence, the biggest hindrance on the path to God or enlightenment. Even in the recent wave of new age that is sweeping away religious footholds with its synthetic and eclectic approach, sexuality is still viewed as something we have to move away from rather than embrace. It might not be viewed as sin any more, at least not as much, but it is still seen as a primitive and wild force that doesn't let us grow spiritually.
However, does this mean that sexuality objectively is a danger to us? The fact that we have always struggled to befriend it, would this mean it really is against us? Or perhaps we are looking at something so central and so powerful that we feel weak to deal with it. And as a result, of course, it remains this mystical dark force that we can't manage and therefore distance ourselves from. Perhaps if we courageously journeyed into these spheres the final outcome would be very different. Perhaps in that unlikely scenario we couldn't imagine spirituality without sexuality. After all, this did happen in some cultures and we shouldn't ignore the knowledge that came out those explorations.
One of these spiritual disciplines is Tantra. Long before Hinduism took hold in India, Tantric mystics were exploring the world around them without too many doctrines and moral pointers. Tantra is mysticism, and mysticism is learning through experience. The Tantric path was the path of accepting the world as it is, feeling it through and not judging it. What exists, exists as reality and it is no good to call it bad simply because you don't understand it. The Tantrikas lived through all the world had to offer, using all experiences to become more conscious and unattached.
In this honesty they immediately saw that sexuality was one of the biggest things to be experienced and understood. When they approached it with complete curiosity and desire to learn they discovered that it was more than just safe, it was in fact an incredibly positive and powerful force inside us which, when harnessed, can propel us to higher states of consciousness. Someone even said once that a normal human will naturally meditate only in one situation - the orgasm. The tantrikas used their sexual energy is an engine for enlightenment.
It is less known that the Tao approached sexuality along the same lines. We greatly respect their knowledge of our bioenergy - the chi. We hold their acupuncture, acupressure, herbs and philosophy in high regard. Yet we forget that they also saw the sexual energy as a very powerful source for our beings. The Tao doesn't believe in good and bad, it believes in balance. The Taoists saw sexual energy as something much more potent than chi. They saw correct circulation of sexual energy between partners as an immensely powerful practice to ensure good health and longevity, fulfilment, inner peace, and spiritual vibrance. Chinese doctors used to prescribe specific sexual practices to keep a person in a good well-being. The Taoists integrated sexual energy into their personal development systems as one of the most important element to keep strong and harmonic with the universe.
It is curious to note that both of these cultures were not monotheistic controlling religious doctrines. Both in Tantra and Tao the dominant God does not exist. The world was just a reality of opposing forces and there are simply harmonic and non-harmonic waves of going through it, with their consequences. Perhaps this is where the clue lies. Perhaps as a degree of control over masses became more important, sexuality was driven more and more into enemy ranks. We can't ignore these incredible lessons, however. It shows us that we create our own reality of sexuality: when we are afraid of it and unwilling to explore responsibly, we create an enemy. When we are open to it and we want to learn, we create a powerful friend on our spiritual journey. Sexual energy is a powerful force, whether with you or against you.
We have a great deal to learn from these cultures. In the end of the day we are immensely driven by our sexuality. No one will deny this if we look at our motivations and we honestly admit what is behind them. We will see that some form of sexual expression and achievement is very commonly present. To deny this part of us would be to run from a big aspect of our being, from something that is a huge part of our nature.
What possible benefit can we get from being in conflict and denial about our nature? Just like political conflict resolution involves listening to the opponents, in the same way we can avoid this profound conflict and find new harmony only through understanding what is behind our sexual drive. But perhaps this is exactly why we have always had such a traumatic relationship with our sexuality: perhaps this very depth of us frightens us, we feel naked, we feel like to understand sex would be to go to the very depth of our beings and we are not necessarily open to total knowledge. Perhaps the history of the relationships between sexuality and spirituality is an example of our fear to know ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment