Sex and Religion

1. Siddhartha Gautama

· All living beings have Instinct to procreate

· Founder of Buddhism

· Mythologized early life

· Have to know 4 sights mentioned in the reading

· He counters Old age, death, Corpse, and all these stuff that make him think

· Giving up desires leads to this experience of truth, everything else is distraction

2. 5 Buddhist Precepts/Unskillful Activity

· Causing harm to others, stealing, lying, intoxication, sexual pleasure

· To give up desire is to escape

· Ethical sensibility

3. Marriage / procreation

· marriage is a secular arrangement. Unlike other religions, it is not referred as sacred

· Procreation – let go of desire, family is an attachment so get rid of it

4. Women in early Buddhism

· compare to the religions that surrounded buddah, buddhism was men centered.

· men and women are not equal in terms of spiritual development

5. Homosexuality in Buddhism/ 3 Aspects

· how individuals were allowed to pursue their spiritual life?

Buddhism wants to distinguish its identity

Homosexual relationship, identity, activity

Sep 15th 2015 – Guest Speaker

1. Shiva – the Diety of Contrasts – storing up sexual energy and deplete it through meditation – abstain sexuality. However he got married with parvati

· Contrast between Aesthesis and marriage

· Four lives stages :

1. Student

2. Household – ritual duty, maintain family obligation

3. Forest dweller – retreat : moving away from family obligation, sexual practice

4. Renunciant -

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