Celibacy

Picture a life where you don't have to worry about impressing anybody. A life where every living being is your brother and sister, one big family with each other's best interest always in mind. A life with no double-meanings, innuendos, or sexual envy. This is the life of a celibate monk. Or really the life of anyone not preoccupied with their next sexual conquest. Imagine how free such a person is! No self-image to uphold or schemes to secure the partner to reinforce one's social status.

Since most inhibition comes from a fear of looking foolish around people we want to impress, celibacy allows for one to truly become Self-reliant and fully able to express themself no strings attached.

       The Vedic tradition of spirituality has pointed out that sexual desire is the main motivating force for material activities "it is lust only, dear Arjuna, that is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world" (B.G. 3.37) 

      If we take a look at our own motives it will quickly become apparent that sense enjoyment is the driving factor in most of our endeavors. whether we are endeavoring for a nice job or for a beautiful wife, the payoff or reward is gratifying our senses - the chief of which is sex enjoyment. So if we remove this chief of sense pleasures, temporarily or permanently, imagine just how much self-discovery would take place, how many skills we could develop, how solid a spiritual foundation we could establish just by sheer redirection of focus and mental effort.

     One who lives a celibate life gains so much more than what is given up, becoming more complete in themselves and less conditioned to the standard social system of go to school, get a job, get married, house, kids, and pay off debts. This is why we encourage all practitioners of Krishna consciousness to try a life abstinent from sexual endeavors for at least one year to really uncover who they are and what they can do!