Ask A Monk: Pornography and Masturbation (and Addiction in General)

[IoIocaust]

A monk who owns a camera...... Poser!!!!!!!

[SanghaOnline]

@IoIocaust You are a silly person, I truly hope that you are being sarcastic, lol, but who said he owns the camera?

[IoIocaust]

@SanghaOnline Im just assuming he's one of those possesion priviliged wannabe yuppie buddhists who thinks all you gotta do to be buddhist is e able to wrap your legs around your head and chant shit. being a buddhist is fun when youre an american, but try the "no posesions" thing in real life.

[SyrianYouth]

thanks ...that was a great talk ....i am having a midterm tomorrow ...just after 8 hours ...i haven't even started studying for it ....I do not have friends... I almost failed school for the last 4 years ...all that because of masturbation addiction that I got stuck with in puberty..... I was religious ...I became an atheist ...now I clearly see how Buddhist philosophy and thoughts will be a way out to the life that I want to live.... thanks

[MsSakuntala]

What are the 277 precepts that you have to protect...What if a monk feels like to have his own baby and shake it and bottle to a women and give birth to a child... Does buddha says anything to a yogi about masterbation...I mean to a yogi, a monk...Can he do masterbation or bottle it and give his sperms to a women....If you have time only or if u happen to read this...

[humaner]

Good for you to discuss this.Respect.

[Pooperscooper12342]

Qweer!!!!:D

[kingofaikido]

All things pass, all things decay, nothing remains except sensation, craving, pleasure... The boredom of modern life, unemployment, the general neglect of human potential makes us turn inward. Porn is, in a way, the last stand before we meditate or do anything truly creative.. So much pleasure, fascinating, but ultimately pointless. Makes one wonder about life as a whole, boring work, the struggle to survive, empty pursuits for the sake of avoiding boredom.. How extraordinary boredom is..!

[SummerCircus91]

surely u can become addicted to meditating:D

[QuizzicallyDefined]

If only our primitive ancestors had views such as yours. Our drive to survive relied on our addictions as well as a mindset of a more meaningful purpose to give us a dominion over our worldly plain. Hence leading to more comfortable lifestyles, which gives you the ability to sit perched apoun your mountain to contemplate such quandaries. Taking for granite what others have fought to achieve by not making others more comfortable is considered selfish by and with every sense.We all have needs

[seennlisten]

face it people, noone will say y some get old and ugly as f$% underground hell and some not.

[liche123]

Christians and westerners have repression issues when it comes to sex and have been brainwashed by Christianity to think that certain parts of sexuality is bad. If you look at candy you will see that it is addictive and it harms your teeth, but you dont hear a wisper about candy because it has nothing to do with sex. The same could be said about fast food or anything else. They are unable to approach the issue rationally. Most people do not have an "addiction" to porn.

[greiper]

I'm sorry if it's a too personal question, but: in your profile it says you're from canada, so I assume your family lives in canada. If it's so, don't you miss your family?

[ukgreaterlondon]

@primenemisis

because ladies are made to look sexy and they are taken quickly but men are not made to look sexy so that is why men are more likely to be single = single men get hungry for orgasms but non single men don't get hungry for orgasms most times .

[alienkishorekumar]

I have been enlightened seeing your videos..i will see your videos regularly!You are a true guru! 

[riceboy287]

@primenemisis thank you, kind of need something like that

[riceboy287]

@primenemisis The thing is that guilt doesn't help in the way it in no way contributes to helping REMOVING the desire, but is more likely to lead you to bottling up and AVOIDING instead. So thats how guys get addicted to porn (images on a screen) and i realized those images don't mean anything, but they people in it both male and female are something, that have feelings, and a soul. I try to remember that whenever temptation comes up

[riceboy287]

@primenemisis The thing about males is that they are more susceptible to visual stimulation; that and the climax creates that attachment to that image (pornography) I do my best not to masturbate and to pornography but I just did today and I want a way to stop it. The reason girls aren't as much is because they more sound and feeling stimulation.

[mutlipass]

Thank you for talking about things others wouldn't!

[squamish4244]

@DrugTestCongress I tend to agree with you that it is still objectifying the human body, just in another way. I don't want to be dragged around by obsessive desire, but on the other hand, I'm not going to deny beauty when I see it in a female form :)

[jsmells9]

thanks for the insights yuttadhammo

[eaglerock999]

In my experience when in a state of higher consciousness addiction or simply interest to all egoic animalistic cravings, like sex booze object s naturally falls away with no effort on the part of the practictioner.

There should be no forcing of celibacy for instance,look what happens in the Catholic church to some priests.

But the higher states come and go,the body has natural drives,one should have compassion for oneself.

seek truth and the truth shall set you free,eventually.

[speedtype100]

How then do you deal with alcoholism? How do you perceive that if pornography is "seeing", which of the senses is used for alcoholism?

[yuttadhammo]

@speedtype100 tasting and feeling... and seeing, hearing and smelling... and thinking :)

[WetaGuy]

I have been trying to quit smoking for a long time now. I told myself I would quit at the beginning of July and I haven't yet. I'm going to use my last 5 cigarettes and smoke them while thinking from a mindful perspective so I can truly understand that sensation. Maybe this is what I need to quit. Thank you.

[alexkinglai]

Hey I got a question do monks get erections? Or do they need Viagra?

[bentofelix1]

i have been follow your teaching a lot lately,in one of your pod cast you sad a angry person will be reborn ugly, ugly being a karma,but you say thats nothing beautiful about a person, is karma in that sense not real because a bautiful person is no diferente than an ugly? Thanks for all your teaching!

[Thenishabellajb]

hey,im just wondering..ive heard that buddhist monks drink green tea to reduce their sexual desires,is it true?

i mean green tea reducing the effect.No offense.Im just curious.peace.

[computermaster]

I have come to the point of giving up masturbation after more than 15 years.

[OriginalAtomicSheep]

So essentially... the ideal way of maturing is to go through puberty in a frivolous way until you mature to the level whereby you no longer crave sex or have the same level of desire for sex due to having a better understanding of what it is? This way the human race continues and you continue living a healthy life afterwards. Obviously this is an idealistic interpretaiton.

[OriginalAtomicSheep]

@OriginalAtomicSheep Sorry... I think a question which I have which is more general is... what's the point of relationships? What's the point of anything? I understand what the video is trying to say, I just don't understand the bigger picture... if we don't have earthly pleasures, what's left? How do you sustain your human body if you just spend your whole day sitting around thinking about how much you don't want that or this or more precisely... simply observing? I don't mean to be derogatory

[OriginalAtomicSheep]

@OriginalAtomicSheep I mostly listened to this from the perspective of additictions in genereal but decided to stay on topic with my question, erm... yer I see what you're saying, pretty much what my question was trying to address.

[BodyWisdomVideos]

Good point that "understanding" the addiction is very helpful. For a nonjudgmental look at the physiological aspects of porn addiction, see "Your Brain On Porn" website videos presentations.

[RichenPungpo]

Pratityasamutopada



[limpviscid]

This video has both masturbation and aliens. I love Buddhism.

[MsSakuntala]

To joneselius...Why have we given the tools...Because we were sent to this world to find the truth because the truth is with the nature..If u are too much into sex, dont worry, u will get ur day that u will hate it coz the nature knows what everyone is upto..We as human beings are here to accomplish one goal, that is find nirvana but we instead seeking lust and wealth, so nature gets angry with us, we get tsunami, diseases etc..but it also know when u change ur path to meditate...it be beside..

[MsSakuntala]

Continue or Kewatta sutra....Endowed with this noble restraint over the sense faculties, he is inwardly sensitive to the pleasure of being blameless. This is how a monk guards the doors of his senses.

[MsSakuntala]

Cotinue of Kewatta suttra...On hearing a sound with the ear/On smelling an odor with the nose... On tasting a flavor with the tongue... On touching a tactile sensation with the body... On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he does not grasp at any theme or details by which — if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the intellect — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him.

[MsSakuntala]

KEWATTA SUTTA/Sense Restraint..And how does a monk guard the doors of his senses? On seeing a form with the eye, he does not grasp at any theme or details by which — if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him.

[joneselius]

Sexuality is counter productive to spiritual growth? Come off it! The unification of a man and woman is natural in itself! Why would nature (the very definition of spiritual bliss) supply us with the 'tools' in that case?

[donutbear]

Thank you for your words.

[gerry2345]

Very good vid....

[Benjaminimize]

A good challenge is the internet history challenge. If you are looking at embarrassing things on the net, and you live with other people, who'll probably be deleting your history quite a lot!

It's good to only look on sites that other (wiser) people wouldn't reprove you for looking at, and then not deleting your history in fear of people finding out (or going into incognito mode for you chrome users :p)

Try it, good luck :D

[Benjaminimize]

"So long as sexual attraction has not been cleared away - if the even the slightest trace remains, the heart is held in dependence like a suckling calf"

- Dhammapada v. 284

For the monk at least, this is the instruction, to give up attachment to the body. I like the simile here of the suckling calf, it's a really good one, cos there's definitely an animal quality to sensual lust where you feel like you need it!

Thanks Venerable your talks are always helpful, Anumodami! :D

[juanmora19910209]

I think this is the most I've understood of one of your talks Yuttadhammo. I didn't just listen and understand the words but I understood the concept, & thought process behind it. I'm not sure if that's called learning. Some very enlightening concepts, your mind is so active & focused, I know it would be Extremely difficult for me to focus on one thought for 37 mins. It's something I hope to be able to do. I'm sure that focus is very useful in meditation & understanding.

[JonathanReysh]

I am deeply in agreement with Venerable Yuttadhammo. He exposes here with deep clarity and having the carefull to alert, at least, in two aspects: ignorance and non-sin. This way the spiritual arrest consists in ignorance.

Yes, I like a lot the way he did apply the Abhidhamma here.

Sadhu

[JonathanReysh]

And speaking about menopause also we are answering for man: andropause - another tabu but a Western one.

I am deeply in agreement with Venerable Yuttadhammo. He exposes here with deep clarity and having the carefull to alert, at least, in two aspects: ignorance and non-sin. This way the spiritual arrest consists in ignorance.

Yes, I like a lot the way he did apply the Abhidhamma here.

Sadhu

[maitilupas]

A great talk, encouraging and innovative,

Society needs to overcome this aspect.

Thank You

[samadhiquandry]

Maybe if it is a she, she is going through pre-menopause, it might be a temporary hormonal imbalance, I think she should talk to a Dr. Also eat less sugar and drink less caffeine. Basically we are animals and I feel it's our choice on which road to go on.

[beavisandbutthead104]

i like this. I've been completely celibate for two weeks now and this has inspired me to continue this path.

[blossomblizzard]

Great job!

[bumblesby]

In my opinion, this is one of the most refreshing and useful teachings on this topic. I think another aspect of this is who told this person or why does this person feel it is ruining his/her life? I think you did reference this a little. So that needs to be examined as well. Possibly even first. I could say that air pollution ruins my life too, but there is little as an individual I can do about that. So, there are deeper issues going on here.

[German1184]

I find “Ask A Monk: Drug and Alcohol Addiction” video very helpful.

Everyone here should watch this video:

watch?v=SdVkq4AD8oE&p=EAF1C635­2D4F61F9

Thank you, Yuttadhammo !!!

[Vladivostok41]

Love your videos. Very thoughtful

[butterwings77]

I think you could have gone one step further. I think that masturbation is actually covered by the "no sexual misconduct"-precept (I think Dalai Lama said it).

Yes, guilt is not a productive feeling - but I think it should be emphasized that while you do not need to feel guilt, you should strive toward giving up all addictions, particulary addiction to sexuality, since it is one of the most powerful drives or forces within us.

[yuttadhammo]

@butterwings77 I disagree... I'm not advocating masturbation, but from a pov of technical precision, I can't see how masturbation can be on the same level as adultery.

[butterwings77]

@yuttadhammo I wasn't being precise. Yes, adultery is worse than masturbation, naturally. What I meant was that masturbation IS a sort of sexual misconduct. I did not compare the two.

[butterwings77]

Finally, someone who deals with masturbation in connection with spirituality . For many men, It is such an important part of life, and it can have devastating effects on our minds - yet the problem is scarcely not discussed.

My personal findings are that masturbation (and sexuality) is directly counterproductive to spiritual growth.

[KrustytheKiller]

@butterwings77 'My personal findings are that masturbation (and sexuality) is directly counterproductive to spiritual growth.'

why?

[butterwings77]

@KrustytheKiller basically because few people can be sexually active without becoming addicted to it in some degree, and more times than not, hypersexuality is not seen as a problem - it can even be a reason for admiration.

[KrustytheKiller]

@butterwings77 well that argument doesn't hold up too well on reflection. if some people become 'addicted' to sexual activity, it does not suggest that masturbation is inherently counterproductive to spiritual growth because there are others who do not become addicted. and actually masturbation is rarely a reason for admiration. you say 'hypersexuality' but do not define moderate sexuality. to make such bold and absolute statements you need absolute evidence which we do not have.

[butterwings77]

@KrustytheKiller You're right, that argument alone is not enough.I would like to direct you to a website, though: Reuniting dot info. The main focus is on non-orgasmic sexuality, but I have taken my cues from both the spiritual insight and the science presented on that website. Highly recommended, especially for people with an interest in the connection between sexuality and spirituality.

Reunite.info

[butterwings77]

@butterwings77 Sorry, it's reuniting.info

[ekingh22]

@butterwings77 what do you mean by (and sexuality),..if u mean being gay,..i then just say homosexuality, or i guess bi sexuality aswell

[butterwings77]

@ekingh22 Nothing to do with homosexuality at all. Non-orgasmic sex (tantric sex) is a powerful spiritual practice. Check out the web site, reuniting.info. It's very comprehensive and easily understood.

[dancedanceterminator]

@butterwings77 100% agreed man

[squamish4244]

@butterwings77 I find that like most religions, Buddhism is lacking in teachings on healthy sexuality because it has primarily been the domain of celibates for so long. So we come to believe that spirituality and sexuality are mutually exclusive. In my own personal experience, for whatever it's worth, that has not been the case.

[borninparis]

@butterwings77

what is profoundly human cannot be counterproductive to spirtiual growth. There is nothing negative per se, about sexuality. Especially, if it is an expression of love, of sharing. If we understand the true nature of what is shared, then we will understand love that is borne out of compassion for all beings, and that is the basis of spiritual growth.

[eskemobil]

@borninparis I was mainly talking about hyper-sexuality, and especially masturbation. Most people do not understand the implications of sexuality, and they get lost in the sensuality part of it. Healthy, ideal sexuality requires a strong, mental core, and not just the physical part. The problem arises when people do not understand this.

That is why I have mixed feelings about seuxality and people trying to grow spiritually.

[MrGunwitch]

@borninparis

Profoundly incorrect.

Transcending our humanity is the entire goal of the spiritual quest. Indulging in the activities that anchor us in this state and expecting liberation is akin to eating donuts and expecting yourself to become thin. The two are incongruous.

[BuddhaZenMind]

One of the Great Poisons to the mind, along with Saturday night TV shows....

[JackHighlander]

@BuddhaZenMind ha! the news are much worse, though.

[pvtmartijn]

AMAZING talk once again, so glad you're posting more video's now =))

[Peregrine1946]

Thank you for this enlightening discussion; I'll watch it again. You instruct on many levels and your subtle asides, pointing out obvious ironies in this life had me chuckling in a sleepless night.