|
Introduction Perhaps the most difficult to keep of
Master’s commandments, especially for young, men is chastity. The society we
live in is so permeated with sexuality, and most of us have been surrounded
since birth by so many people and so much material inundated with unchaste
preconceptions, that the concept of self-restraint comes hard. And yet, experience shows that the Master’s
teachings on his subject are grounded firmly both in spiritual necessity and in
human nature. It does not takes us long to discover, if we are serious about
the Path and our commitment to it, that sexuality and inner experience are
incompatible; and once we get past the fears and prejudices that have been
implanted in us by all segments of society (including, sadly the churches), and
actually live for a while free from the addiction to sex, we begin to discover
for ourselves the peace and contentment that real chastity brings. We have learned that the first step toward
an honestly chaste life is intellectual acceptance of the value of chastity.
Since most of us have been assuming the opposite for years, anything that goes
to reinforce the concept in our mind is helpful. And if we realize that the
Master’s teaching is thoroughly and completely in harmony with all Masters who
have come as well as an astonishing number of great men in all walks of life,
we may perhaps feel more secure in our own practices. The following article, made up of excerpts
from the writing of Masters and great men, is a step toward this understanding.
It is only a beginning; much remains to be said. God willing, a complete and
thoroughly documented inquiry into the physiological and psychological
consequences of chastity will shortly appear in these pages, in which many
question left unanswered in this article will be taken up. One point only might
be mentioned: all Master and others who understand the value of chastity have
consistently opposed the use of contraceptives (Mahatma Gandhi, for example,
has written explicitly and at great length on this point). This has led many
critics to feel that the Masters and others are out of touch with the modern
world and its tremendous problem of over-population, and have consistently
advised their disciples to have small families. But they also know that all
attempts to subvert the basic natural law (in any field) brings new problem in
its wake which are worse than the one that is supposedly being cured. The commonly expressed opinion that
chastity is an unworkable and unnatural alternative to contraceptives is
effectively refuted by observing the condition of inhabitants of the Hanza
Valley in northern Pakistan. These people, known throughout the world for their
excellent health and long life, are by no means Saints; they have nevertheless
successfully practiced population control by means of chastity for centuries.
In 1949 a remarkable American woman, Jean Bowie Shor, visited the Huna valley
as part of an epic journey in the footsteps of Marco Polo. This is what she
says: “While marriage is important, so is birth control.
There are only a limited number of arable acres in Hunza, and if the Hunzukuts
had as many children as other Asiatic or Oriental people, there would soon be
serious overpopulation. Centuries ago they solved the problem. When a wife
becomes pregnant she leaves her husband’s bed, not to return again until the
baby is weaned, two years for a girls, three for a boy. “Families, therefore, are small, usually
three of four children, and the population does not vary appreciably…..” and how this “unnatural” practice affect
the Hanzukuts? Are they nervous, weak, frustrated, repressed? “ ‘We are the happiest people in the
world,’ the Mir said with a quiet sureness which precluded any boastfulness,
‘and I will tell you why. We have just enough of everything, but not enough to
make anyone else want to take it away. You might call this the a Happy Land of
Just Enough. “The longer we stayed in Hunza the more we
were impressed with the stamina of the people. It is not unheard of for a
Hunzukut to hike sixty miles over the mountain trail in a single day. they
climb mountains higher than any in the United states with greater nonchalance
than I show walking up four flight of stairs in an apartment building . . . . . “Sir Robert McCarrison, once surgeon
general of India, describes the Hunzukuts as ‘ unsurpassed in perfection of
physique. . . . capable of great physical endurance, and enjoying a remarkable
freedom from disease in general.’” “Once the Hunzukuts were mighty mountains
warriors, feared by the surroundings countries.. . . . But now they live in
serene peace with each other and their nervous neighbors. There is no poverty
in Hunza, and yet money is not considered a necessity. . . .Longevity is a
national characteristic. While the arbab of Misgar was in his sixties, some of
his advisers were pressing a hundred. Many of the disease of civilization,
including cancer, are unknown. . . “ ‘Tell us about the Mir,’ France asked. .
. . And by the way, where are the soldiers and police?’ “Nabi khan laughed. ‘There is no police,’
he said, ‘because there is no crime. Therefore there are no jails. Nor does
Hunza have an army. . . A few years ago
the Mir had a small bodyguard, but he disbanded it. Why should he have a
bodyguard? He has no enemies.’” “There are no doctors in Hunza – except an
occasional foreign medical man who visits to marvel at their phenomenal freedom
from disease. McCarrison, who spent some time in Hunza, noted the complete
absence of ulcers and dyscpepsia, as well as the non-existence of cancer.” Pity the poor Hunzukut! Strong, healthy,
contented, serene, happy – and chaste. Living examples of what the Master means
when he says, “Even if you don't take up the spiritual way, I tell you, if you
live a life of restraint, you will have peace.” The Hunzukuts are not Saints;
but they are men. The selections following are given to
demonstrate the fact that the Master does not stand alone in his advocacy of
restraint; consequently, only a tiny part of his own writings on the subject are
included. Those readers who have not already read morning Talk 11, “Chastity –
How to become Self-centered,” in the book Morning Talks should do so, as it
probably the single most valuable writing on this subject extant. Also helpful
is the section “Chastity” in the booklet Seven Paths to Perfection. 1.
GAUTAMA
BUDDHA In response to this appeal, the blessed One
addressed the assembly: - Ananda has just requested me teach how to arrange a
True Altar of Enlightenment to which sentient being of this last kalpa may come
for deliverance and protection. Listen carefully as I explain it to you. Ananda and all in this assembly! In
explaining to you the rules of the Vinaya, I have frequently emphasized three
good lessons, namely 1. The only way to keep the Precepts is first to be able
to concentrate the mind; 2. by keeping
the Precepts you will be able to attain Samadhi; 3. by means of Samadhi one
develops intelligence and wisdom. Having learned these three good lessons, one
has gained freedom from the intoxicatants and hindrances. Ananda, why is concentration of mind
necessary before one can keep the precepts? And why is it necessary to keep the
precepts before one can rightly practice dhyana and attain samadhi? And why is
the attainment of Samadhi necessary before one may attain true intelligence and
wisdom? Let me explain this to you. All sentient beings in all the six realms
of existence are susceptible to temptations and allurements. As they yield to
these temptations and allurements, they fall into and become fast bound to the
recurring cycles of deaths and rebirths. Being prone to yield to these
temptations and allurements, one must, in order to free himself from their
bondage and their intoxication, concentrate his whole mind in a resolution to
resist them to the uttermost. The most important of these allurements are the
temptations to yield to sexual thoughts, desires and indulgence, with all their
following waste and bondage and suffering. Unless one can free himself from
this bondage and these contaminations and exterminate these sexual lusts, there
will be no escape from the following suffering, nor hope of advancement to
enlightenment and peacefulness. No matter how keen you may be mentally, no
matter how much you may be able to practice dhyana, no matter to how high a
degree of apparent samadhi you may attain, unless you have wholly annihilated
all sexual lust, you will ultimately fall into the lower realms of existence.
In these lower Mara realms of existence there are three ranks of evil ones: the
Mara king, evil demons, and female fiends, and all of them have each his and
her own double who disguise themselves as “angels of light” who have attained
supreme Enlightenment. After my Parinirvana, in the last kalpa of
this world, there will be plenty of all these kinds of evil spirits everywhere.
Some of them will beset you openly with avarice and concupiscence and others of
them will pose as holy and learned masters. No one will escape their
machinations to lure them in the swamps of defilement and thus to lose the Path
to Enlightenment. Therefore, Ananda, and all of you, should persistently teach
the people of this world to attain perfect concentration of mind, so that they
may be able to practice dhyana successfully and attain Samadhi. This is the
clear teaching of all the Blessed Buddhas of the past, and it is my instruction
at the present, and it will be the instruction of all Tatagatas of the future. Therefore, Ananda, a man who tries to
practice dhyana without first attaining control of his mind is like a man
trying to bake bread out of a dough made of sand; bake it as long as he will,
it will only be sand made a little hot. It is the same with sentient beings,
Ananda. They can not hope to attain Buddhahood by means of an indecent body.
How can they hope to attain the wonderful experience of Samadhi out of
bawdiness? If the source is indecent, the outcome will be indecent; there will
ever be a return to the never-ending recurrence of deaths and rebirths. Sexual
lust leads to multiplicity; control of mind and Samadhi leads to enlightenment
and the unitive life of Buddhahood. Multiplicity leads to strife and suffering;
control of mind and dhyana leads to the blissful peace of Samadhi and
Buddhahood. Inhibition of sexual thoughts and
annihilation of sexual lusts is the path to Samadhi, and even the conception of
inhibiting and annihilating must be discarded and forgotten. When the mind is
under perfect control and all indecent thoughts excluded, then there may be a
reasonable expectation for the Enlightenment of the Buddhas. Any other
teaching than this is but the teaching
of the evil Maras. This is my first admonition as to keeping the Precepts. 2.
JESUS CHRIST Ye have heard that it was said by them of
old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already
in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from
thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and
not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend
thee, cut if off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one
of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into
hell. * * * * The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting
him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every
cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye
not read, the he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave
to his wife: and the twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more
twian, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder. They say unto him, why did Moses then
command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the
hardness of your heart suffered you to put away your wives, but from the
beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife,
except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and
who so marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him, if the case of
the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, all man cannot
receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs
which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which
were made eunuchs of me: and there be eunuchs for the kingdom of heave’s sake.
He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. 3.
RAMAKRISHNA MAD! That’s the word. One must become mad
with love in order to realize God. But that love is not possible if the mind
dwells on “woman and gold.” Sex-life with woman! What happiness is there in
that? The realization of God gives ten million times more happiness. Gauri used
to say that when a man attains ecstatic love of God all the pores of the skin,
even the root of the hair, becomes like so many sexual organs, and in every
pore the aspirant enjoys the happiness of communion with the atman. One must call on God with a longing hear.
One must learn from the Guru how God can be realized. Only if the Guru himself
has attained Perfect knowledge can he show the way. A man gets rid of all desires when he has
Perfect knowledge. He becomes like a child five years old. Sages like
Dattatreya and Jadabharata had the nature of a child. To be able to realize God, one must
practice absolute continence. Sages like Sukadeva are examples of an urdhareta
[a man of unbroken and complete continence]. Their chastity was absolutely
unbroken. There is another class, who previously have had discharges of semen
but who later on have controlled them. A man controlling the seminal fluid for
twelve years develops a special power. He grows a new inner nerve called the
nerve of memory. Through that nerve he remembers all, he understands all. * * * * RAMAKRISHNA (to Mahima): “What I
said about aspirants practicing continence is true. Without chastity one cannot
assimilate these teaching. “Once a man said to Chaitanya: ‘You give
the devotee so much instruction. Why don’t they make much progress?’ Chaitanya
said: ‘They dissipate their powers in the
company of women. That is why they cannot assimilate spiritual
instruction. If the one keeps water in a leaky jar, the water escapes little by
little through the leak.’” Mahima and the other devotees remained silent. After
a time Mahima said, “Please pray to God for us that we may acquire the
necessary strength.” RAMAKRISHN: “Be on your guard even now. It
is difficult, no doubt, to check the torrent in the rainy season. But a great
deal of water has gone out. If you build the embankment now it will stand.” 4.
THOREAU If it is the result of a pure love, there can be
nothing sensual in marriage. Chastity is something positive, not negative. It
is the virtue of the married especially. All lusts or base pleasures must give
place of loftier delights. They who meet as superior beings cannot perform the
deeds of inferior ones. The deeds of love are less questionable than any action
of an individual can be, for, it being founded on the rarest mutual respect,
the parties incessantly stimulate each other to a loftier and purer life, and
the act in which they are associated must be pure and noble indeed, for
innocence and purity can have no equal. In this relation we deal with one whom
we respect religiously even than we respect our better selves, and we shall
necessarily conduct as in the presence of God. What presence can be more awful
[i.e., awe-inspiring] to the lover than the presence of his beloved? …. Can love be in ought allied to dissipation? Let us
love by refusing, not accepting, one another. Love and lust are far asunder.
The one is good, the other bad. When the affectionate sympathize by their
higher natures, there is love; but there is danger that they will sympathize by
their lower natures; and then there is lust. It is not necessary that this be
deliberate, even conscious; but in the close contact of affection, there is
danger that we may stain and pollute one another, for we cannot embrace but
with an entire embrace. We must love our friend so much that she shall be
associated with our purest and holiest thoughts alone. When there is impurity
we have “descended to meet,” though we know it not . . . There is to be attributed to sensuality the loss to
language of how many pregnant symbols? Flowers which, by their infinite hues
and fragrance, celebrate the marriage of the plants, are intended for a symbol
of the open and unsuspected beauty of all true marriage, when man’s flowering
season arrives. Virginity too is a budding flower, and by an impure
marriage the virgin is deflowered. Whoever loves flowers loves virgins and
chastity. Love and lust are as far asunder as a flower-garden is from a
brothel…. A true marriage will differ in no wise from
illumination. In all perception of the truth there is a divine ecstasy, an in
expressible delirium of joy… The ultimate delights of a true marriage are one
with this. No wonder that out of such a union, not as end, but as
accompaniment, comes the undying race of man. The womb is a most fertile soil. Some have asked if the stock of man could not be
improved, - if they could not be bred as cattle. Let love be purified, and all
the rest will follow. A pure love is thus, indeed, the panacea for all the ills
of the world. The only excuse for reproduction is improvement.
Nature abhors repetition. Beasts merely propagate their kind; but the offspring
of noble men and women will be superior to themselves, as their aspirations
are. By their fruits ye shall know them. 5.
MAHATMA
GANDHI No, I must Declare with all the power I can
command that sensual attraction even between husband and wife is unnatural.
Marriage is meant to cleanse the hearts of sordid passions and take them nearer
to God. Lustless love between husband and wife is not impossible. Man is not a
brute. He has risen to a higher state after countless births in brute creation.
He is born to stand, not to walk on all fours or crawl. Bestiality is as far
removed from manhood as matter from spirit. I submit that marriage is a fence that
protects religion. If the fence were to be destroyed, religion would go to
pieces. The foundation of religion is restraint, and marriage is nothing but
restraint. The man who knows no restraint has no hope of self-realization. If
it is the latter, there is no room there for
libertinism. The spirit needs must curb the flesh every moment. Human society is a ceaseless growth, an
unfoldment in terms of spirituality. If so, it must be based on ever-increasing
restraint upon the demands of the flesh. Thus, marriage must be considered to
be a sacrament imposing discipline upon the partners, restricting them to the
physical union only between themselves and for the purpose only of procreation
when both the partners desire it and are prepared for it. * * * If the couple can think of each others as
brother and sister, they are freed for universal service. The very thought that
all the women in the world are one’s sisters, mothers or daughters will at once
ennoble a man an snap his chains. The husband and wife do not lose anything
here, but only add to their resources and even to the family. Their love
becomes free from the impurity of lust and so grows stronger. With the
disappearance of this impurity, they can serve each other better, and the
occasion for quarrel become fewer. There are more occasions for quarrel, where
the love is selfish and bounded. If the foregoing argument is appreciated, a
consideration of the physical benefits of chastity becomes a matter of
secondary importance. How foolish it is intentionally to dissipate vital energy
in sensual enjoyment! It is a grave misuse to fritter away for physical
gratification that which is given to man and women for the full development of
their bodily and mental powers. Such misuse is the root cause of many a
disease. Brahmcharya, like all other observances, must be observed in thought, word and
deed. We are told in the Gita, and experience will corroborate the statement,
that the foolish man, who appear to control his body, but is nursing evil
thoughts in mind, makes a vain effort. It may be harmful to suppress the body,
if the mind is at the same time allowed to go astray. Where the mind wanders,
the body must follow sooner or later. It is necessary to appreciate a
distinction. It is one thing to allow the mind to harbor impure thoughts; it is
a different thing altogether if it strays among them in spite of ourselves.
Victory will be ours in the end, if we non-cooperate with the mind in its evil
wanderings. We experience every moment of our lives
that often while the body is subject to our control, the mind is not. This
physical control, the mind is not. This physical control should never be relaxed,
and in addition we must put forth a constant endeavor to bring the mind under
control. We can do nothing more, nothing else. If we give way to the mind, the
mind will pull different ways, and we shall be false to ourselves. Body and
mind may be said to go together, so long as we continue to resist the approach
of every evil thought. The observances of Brahmcharya has been
believed to very difficult, almost impossible. In trying to find a reason for
this belief, we see that the term Brahmcharya has been taken in a narrow sense.
Mere control of animal passion has been thought to be tantamount to observing
Brahmcharya. I feel that this conception is incomplete and wrong. Brahmcharya
means control of all the organs of sense. He who attempts to control only one
organ and allow all the others free play is bound to find his effort futile. To
hear suggestive stories with the ears, to see suggestive sights with the eyes,
to taste stimulating food with tongue, to touch exciting things with the hands,
and then at the same time expect to control the only remaining organ, is like
putting in one’s hand in a fire and then expecting to escape being burnt. He,
therefore, who is resolved to control the one must be likewise determined to
control the rest. I have always felt that much harm is done by the narrow
definition of Brahmcharya. If we practice simultaneous self-control in all
directions, the attempt will be scientific and possible to success. Perhaps the
palate is the chief sinner. . . . * * * Brahmcharya here does not mean mere
physical self-control. It means much more. It means complete control over all
the senses. Thus an impure thought is a breach of brahmcharya; so is anger. All
power comes from the preservation and sublimation of the vitality that is responsible
for creation of life. If the vitality of husband instead of being dissipated,
is transmuted into creative energy of the highest order. This vitality is
continuously and even uncontinuously dissipated by evil, or even rambling,
disorderly, unwanted thoughts. And since thought is the root of all speech and
action, the quality of the latter corresponds to that of the former. Hence
perfectly controlled thought is itself power of the highest potency and can
become self-acting. That seems to me to be the meaning of the silent prayer of
the heart. If man is after the image of God, he has but to will a thing in the
limited sphere allotted to him and it becomes. Such power is impossible in one
who dissipates his energy in any way whatsoever, even as steam kept in a leaky
pipe yields no power. The sexual act divorced from the deliberate purpose of
generation is a typical and gross form of dissipation and has therefore been
specially and rightly chosen for condemnation. But in one who has to organize
vast masses of mankind for non-violent action, the full control described by me has to be attempted and virtually
achieved. This control is unattainable save by the
grace of God. There is a verse in the second chapter of he Gita which freely
rendered means: “Sense-effects remain in abeyance whilst one is fasting or
while the particular sense is starved; but the hankering does not cease
except when one sees God face to face.” This control is not mechanical or
temporary. Once attained it is never lost. In that state vital energy is stored
up without any chance of escaping by the innumerable outlets. * * * Today our entire environment – our reading,
our thinking, our social behavior – is generally calculated to subserve and
cater for the sex-urge. To break through its coils is no easy task. But it is a
task worthy of our highest endeavor…. * * * Thus it is not proved to my satisfaction
that sexual union in marriage is in itself good and beneficial to the unionist.
To the contrary effect I can bear ample testimony from my own experience and
that of my friends. I am not aware of any of us having derived any benefit,
mental, spiritual or physical. Momentary excitement and satisfaction there
certainly was. But it was invariably followed by exhaustion. And the desire for
union returned immediately the effect of exhaustion had worn out. although I
have been a conscientious worker, I can clearly recall the fact that this
indulgence interfered with my work. It was the Consciousness of this limitation
that put me on the tract of self-restraint; and I have no manner of doubt that
self-restraint is responsible for the comparative freedom from illness and that
I have enjoyed for long periods and for my output of energy and work, both
physical and mental, which eye-witness have described as phenomenal. 6.
BABA SAWAN
SINGH Naam AND KAM are two of the terms used in
our literature (vernacular). Naam means “Word” or “Sound Current,” and Kam
ordinarily means lust or passion or indulgence in the sensual desires as
opposed to self-control; but in its wider sense, it means all outward
tendencies of the mind. Naam and Kam are, therefore, opposed to one another.
The tendency of Naam is toward the inlet pipe to a reservoir and Kam leads to the outlet pipe. The reservoir may be
filled if the inlet pipe is larger than the outlet pipe is small. But it cannot
remain filled if the outlet is wide open or even leaking. And the sooner the
outlet is stopped, the faster the reservoir will be filled. Now, take Pinda, or the Physical body as
the reservoir. So long as the attention is at the eye focus, it is filling, but
when the attention is running below the eye focus, it is leaking. And the lower
the attention below the focus, the faster it is leaking. The sensual center is
located very low; therefore, playing of the attention on this center causes a
enormous leakage, and there is a considerable amount of dissipation of energy.
Nobody feels happier after the act of dissipation. That act is a happy act if
it leaves you happier. Kabir compares Naam and kam to day and night
respectively. Day and night do not go together. If there is a day, then there
is no night; and if there is night, then there is no day. If attention is given
to Naam, there is Kaam, and if it is given to Kaam, there is no Naam.. .. . The world is the desigh of Kal and Maya,
the negative forces. To keep the soul down, they based the structure of the
world on couples, man and woman. If both man and woman were to catch the sound
of Naam and rise up, both would be free. Here, one holds down the other. And
because we have not seen the other side of the whole picture, we take our
present existence and our surrounding as the normal affair. Strictly speaking,
we are living an abnormal life. Soul combined with mind and matter is an
abnormality. The law admits of no exceptions. The
longing of no exceptions. The longing for Naam means turning your back on Kam.
Turning your face to one means turning
your back to the other. Saints find human nature weak. They make it
strong, step by step. They attach the individual to Naam and , slowly and
slowly, as longing for Naam develops, the karmic tendencies diminish. Those who indulge in Kam for the sake of
indulgence are doing no good to themselves. To hide their ignorance or
weakness, they call this indulgence a physiological necessity and have gone to
the extent of advocating the user of contraceptives, etc. all this is due to
the weakness of human nature. Those who indulge for the sake of children should
try to control themselves when they have the required number of children. Now
what fun is there in having big families which they cannot support? The rest of
life is spent as a family donkey carrying its load. Again , to indulge after
conception, and as the child is dependent upon the mother, is something inhuman.
Here again, to defend our weakness is weakness, and no amount of defense will
convert it into strength. To rise up is a slow process, but to fall
from a height is sudden. Kam is sudden fall from a height is sudden fall of
attention. Saints emphasize the grandeur of Naam and bring it again and again
to the attention of those who come in their contact. They advocate looking up,
while the world looks down. Whenever Naam will become tasteful, Kam will
disappear. There is no other way of controlling kam. Raising the focus of
attention automatically subdues Kam. 7. MAHARAJ KIRPAL SINGH Marriage is a taking up of a life’s companion on your earthly
sojourn – through weal or woe – to help each other in life and to help each
other to know God. One duty may be of begetting children; for which the
scriptures lay down that this power should be used for begetting children, and
that we should rest from any such communion during the conception period and
also thereafter as long as the child is taking milk of the mother. In this way,
the child, the mother and the father will all be healthy. Most of the diseases
the people are suffering will be eliminated. The saints say that if children
are to be born, let them either become saints – or donors to the poor and a servant
of the needy – or else let them be valiant ones who can protect the forlorn and
the weak. The saints do lead an ideal married life
and when they take up such a role, they stop such a course. So, married life is
no bar to spirituality if led in accordance with the scriptures. The partners
in life are advised in their best spiritual interest to observe chastity by
leading a moderate life by mutual cooperation. The check marks on the dairy
forms are essential for the people seeking improvement gradually. One learns by
self-introspection and careful living. The dear ones are not forbidden to marry
or have homes. But they should have an ideal family life flavored with the
divine grace of the Master Power. The young ones before marriage should be
asked to lead chaste lives, as chastity is life and sexuality is death. A lamp
burns splendidly when it has oil within, but if all the oil is leaked away, how
can there be light? A life of self-restraint goes to make body and brain
strong. Unfortunately, very few people have the
right understanding as to the importance of maintaining the chastity of life.
It is because man is not chaste that he is under the domination of other vices
such as anger, greed and attachment. If he were to control his sensual
appetite, the other vices would gradually drop away. So chastity is the key not
only to the spiritual life but also to the success in every field of endeavor.
The pity it is that very people who could help their fellow man, such as
doctors and the clergy, are themselves in the grip of sexuality and are hardly
likely to recommend the practice of that which they themselves are a prey to. |