Reply To: Elimination of Rupa/Arupa Rāga

#51885
Lal
Keymaster

Yes. The video provides a glimpse into Buddha’s teachings. Even though a video cannot explain the fundamentals, it provides some insights.

1. “Sexual urge” is built into our physical body as well as the human psyche.

  • In the same way, the sweetness of honey or the appealing smell of a rose is also built into our physical body and the human psyche in general. 
  • However, those are “distorted perceptions (saññā)” that get incorporated into our mental and physical bodies via Paticca Samuppada.
  • For those who have not read them, I have discussed that for about a year. See the posts after  8/5/23 in “New / Revised Posts.”

2. The deeper aspect of Buddha’s teachings is that we can overcome those “distorted saññā.”

  • First, one must understand how it arises “naturally” via Paticca Samuppada.

3. The Buddha called saññā a mirage in the “Pheṇapiṇḍūpama Sutta (SN 22.95).

  • When a thirsty animal sees the mirage of a “body of water” ahead on a hot Summer day, that is a “distorted saññā” arising in its mind. It is tempted by it, runs toward it, and ultimately may die of exhaustion. A human may get that same wrong perception. But a human is capable of disregarding it by logical thinking. 
  • “Sexual urge” or the “sweetness of honey” are also mirages. However, unlike the “distorted saññā” of a “body of water” on a hot Summer day, the sexual urge is not easy to dismiss. 
  • It is extremely hard to overcome that “built-in mirage” because we have all cultivated it through countless lives. The best way to overcome it is to understand how it gets “built-in” to our physical and mental bodies via Paticca Samuppada. 
  • Finalizing that analysis could take a few more months, but I can vouch that “distorted saññā” can be overcome. 

4. That “distorted saññā” cannot be removed (at least while living day-to-day life), but one can stop being tempted by it.

  • Furthermore, that distorted saññā “goes underground” (or stays hidden) when one gets to samadhi and experiences the “sappabhāsa citta” or the “bright mind.” I have not yet discussed the “sappabhāsa citta,” but that is the closest we can get to the “pabhassara citta” or the “suffering-free mind” until we attain the Arahant stage.

5. On a practical level, we know that sex is not essential for healthy living. Buddhist monks practice celibacy (they have taken a vow to abstain from sex), and I am confident that they are much healthier than average people.

  • Of course, 99+% of them practice celibacy without even having heard of the concept of “distorted saññā.” They do that with faith.
  • When one can see that it is made up by our own minds, it becomes much easier to disregard it.
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