WILL AND WISDOM- Prepare for a Rewarding Life Ahead

WILL AND WISDOM- Prepare for a Rewarding Life Ahead


Brahmachariya allows the individual to use his vital energies as an adolescent, or young adult, to prepare for a rewarding life, to develop his mind and talents for his chosen vocation. Brahmachariya is a traditional practice in Saivite Hinduism. The first of the four stages, or ashramas, of life is actually called the "brahmachariya ashrama."


Love (including sex) is one of the legitimate four goals of life according to our religion. Sex is not bad. Its place, however, is properly within the confines of a sanctified marriage. Nor are sex drives unnatural. The goal of the brahmachari and brahmacharini is not to become fearful of sex, but to understand sex and the sexual impulses in a balanced way. During the time of brahmachariya, the goal is to control the sex urges and transmute those vital energies into the brain to gain a great mental and spiritual strength. Yes, this vital life force must be focused on studies and spiritual pursuits. Brahmachariya maintained until marriage helps enable the devotee to merit a good wife or husband and a happy marriage. The Hindu Catechism explains,


When a young virgin man and woman marry and share physical intimacy with each other, their union is very strong and their marriage stable. This is due to the subtle, psychic forces of the human nerve system. Their psychic forces, or nadis, grow together and they form a one body and a one mind. This is the truest marriage and the strongest, seldom ending in separation or divorce. Conversely, if the man or woman have had intercourse before the marriage, the emotional/psychic closeness of the marriage will suffer, and this in proportion to the extent of promiscuity.


Most religions also provide a tradition of monastic life in which young men take lifetime vows of celibacy. The spiritual value of celibacy in the Hindu tradition has long been understood. Many of our greatest spiritual lights were celibate throughout their entire life, including Siva Yogaswami, Sankara and Swami Vivekananda. Others, such as Buddha, Gandhi and Aurobindo, became celibate after a period of marriage. For the individual preparing for monastic life, brahmachariya is essential in harnessing and transmuting the powerful sexual life energies into spiritual and religious concerns.


REVIEW


1. Sex is natural, not bad, but it is best confined to the sanctified marriage.


2. For monastic life, brahmachariya is essential.


Source: Saivite Virtue