Articles, Audios, and More . . .Sex, Religion, and SpiritualityWhat is the relationship between sexuality and spiritual freedom? Where does sex fit into the pursuit of enlightenment? Is it an integral—and therefore spiritual—part of who we are, or is it a blind biological drive that distracts us from realizing our highest potential? These challenging and complex questions are deeply relevant for the serious seeker of truth today. But in a world literally overflowing with divergent attitudes about sex and religion, the sacred and the profane, how are we to navigate? In order to get our bearings, we went to the experts: as many and as diverse as we could find. Experts on tantric sex, experts on celibacy, rabbis, priests, swamis, Tibetan lamas, philosophers and gurus, whose inquiry and insight we hope will shed some much-needed light on the relationship between sex, religion, and spirituality.
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Tantra: Sex as a Spiritual Path
Is it possible to promote real spiritual evolution through harnessing, including, and consciously directing our sexual energy? We spoke with a teacher of tantric sex, a rabbi, a Tibetan scholar, and the author of The Art of Sexual Ecstasy to find out.
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Is sex really a shortcut to enlightenment? A no-holds-barred discussion with the mother of modern tantra. |
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“Not every man can take on five women and talk about love, life, God, truth and death and keep everything in order. Only a tantric master can do that.” |
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“Once made, this love is made forever.” Two of Barry Long's former consorts tell us what it's like to be in relationship with a tantric master. |
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“While the Puritans wouldn't think of making love on the Sabbath, for Jews it's the opposite way around.” A forward-looking traditionalist describes the sanctified sexuality of orthodox Judaism. |
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The fascinating and informative discoveries of a pioneering scholar and author who journeyed to the Himalayas in search of the truth about Buddhist sexual tantra. |
Celibacy: The Path of Renunciation
What is the role of celibacy on the spiritual path? To shed light on this often misunderstood subject, we spoke with some extraordinary individuals, all lifelong celibates, from Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions. Plus, an autobiographical account of one woman’s walk on the renunciate side…
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A venerated Trappist monk and leader of the Christian contemplative prayer movement explains why “celibacy is not just about chastity. It's about manifesting, in everything we do, the unconditional love of God.” |
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“Celibacy is neither repressing sexuality nor avoiding it. It is bypassing sexuality for something a hundred times greater.” A conversation with the revered Vedantic teacher and spiritual heir to the great Swami Sivananda. |
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We asked a renowned Buddhist abbot, ordained a celibate monk at the age of twelve, what the Buddha himself would have to say about the relevance of celibacy in these sexually “liberated” times. |
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“Bogey is a little surprised when Ingrid steps on the plane without blinking an eye.” A contemporary celibate describes her decision to renounce sexuality and her discovery of a liberating new perspective on the potential for real intimacy between men and women. |
Transcendence: The Path Beyond All Differences
Is sex fundamentally good and natural or is it evil and profane? Does sex aid on the spiritual path or is it an impediment? Perhaps there’s a third way—the path of transcendence, beyond all differences, that avoids nothing in the quest for enlightenment.
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Is it possible for a human being to sustain a relationship with the powerful force of sexuality that consistently reveals its impersonal nature? |
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The late Trappist monk and teacher of centering prayer spoke passionately about realizing our innate divinity, which simultaneously transcends and celebrates gender. |
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A feminist activist and author interviews her male spiritual teacher about why women's liberation and spiritual liberation have nothing to do with each other. |
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The author of Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man takes no prisoners in his critique of the men's movement, the women's movement, the gay movement and enlightenment. |
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Do gay people have a special path to enlightenment? A Buddhist scholar and gay rights activist disputes many common convictions about gay spirituality. |
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The first Western woman to be recognized as a reincarnated Tibetan tulku discusses gender, enlightenment, and being a female teacher in a male-dominated tradition. |
