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Why is religion obsessed with sex? || Acharya Prashant Workshop (2023)
20.1K views
2 years ago
Sexuality
Religion
Morality
Prakriti
Consciousness
Understanding
Sahajata (Ease)
Body-identification
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that social morality has become conflated with religiosity, making it difficult for a normal person to distinguish between the two. He states that social morality is heavily focused on sex, to the point where sexuality becomes the touchstone of morality, rather than consciousness, knowledge, or realization. This leads so-called religious people to constantly think about sex, as they have been taught that religiosity and sex are deeply intertwined. This constant thought leads to suppression. True spirituality, he clarifies, does not have much to say about sex. It is popular culture and conventional morality that are eloquent on the topic, defining a good person by their abstinence and a bad person by their sexual behavior. He likens this to Arjun's state in the Gita, where Arjun, in a body-centric way, worries about the chastity of women. This orientation is sexual, similar to how most religious people's orientation becomes sexual. A normal person does not think of sex as much as a so-called religious person does. The speaker advises that sex should become something small and not very important, not a great monster to be fought constantly. He uses the analogy that just as one doesn't remember yesterday's breakfast, sex should not be a constant presence in the mind. He explains that 'Prakriti' (nature) ensnares a person because they do not understand it; the un-understood remains an unresolved knot that torments. Common morality, by keeping men and women at a distance, prevents mutual understanding. To know something, one must get close to it. When the only purpose of getting close is sex, true understanding of oneself or the other is impossible, leading to an animalistic compulsion. He concludes by advocating for 'Sahajata' (ease or naturalness) in relationships with all genders. One should not make sex a big deal. If it happens as an outcome of an easy relationship, it is fine; if it does not, that is also fine. The important thing is to be at ease, not excited, distracted, attracted, or repulsed. One should be able to interact with the other gender as a being of consciousness, not just a sexual object.