RE: I would like to know what you all think on the matter... what if a person is good and moral, and prays a lot and is charitable but is not celibate... is this a big problem in his spiritual struggle?
i read in the gospel of SRK " He who has given up the pleasure of a wife has verily given up the pleasure of the world; God is very near to such a person"
is celibacy the foundation of spiritual life?
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Namaste Anon,
Firstly, 'celibacy' signifies the unmarried state; whereas, 'Chastity' goes much further. In other words, a person may be living a celibate life and may not necessarily be 'chaste'.
Here is a quote from Swami Vivekananda:
"The Yogis say that that part of the human energy which is expressed as sex energy, in sexual thought, when checked and controlled, easily becomes changed into * Ojas, and as the Muladhara guides these, the Yogi pays particular attention to that centre. He tries to take up all his sexual energy and convert it into Ojas. It is only the chaste man or woman who can make the Ojas rise and store it in the brain; that is why chastity has always been considered the highest virtue. A man feels that if he is unchaste, spirituality goes away, he loses mental vigour and moral stamina. That is why in all the religious orders in the world which have produced spiritual giants you will always find absolute chastity insisted upon. That is why the monks came into existence, giving up marriage. There must be perfect chastity in thought, word, and deed; without it the practice of Raja-Yoga is dangerous, and may lead to insanity. If people practice Raja-Yoga and at the same time lead an impure life, how can they expect to become Yogis?"
Yes. Certainly when we look at our own lives and sadhana, we know this. Apart from a sense of self-disgust, the energy lost is enormous. One can feel it streaming out, especially from the root or muladhara chakra. Swami Narayananda, a disciple of Mahapurush (himself a flawless exemplar of continence) is a good authority and goes into some detail in his books as to the importance of Brahmacharya "in thought, word and deed". If not always attainable it must surely be the ideal for all sincere aspirants.
Dear anon, apologies for delay. Have limited internet access at present. Perhaps the best Swami Narayanananda book, (or my personal favourite) is "The Way to Peace, Power and Long Life" - ISBN 87-87571-59-5. My copy is twenty years old, however, and may now be out of print. Here are the addresses of the Indian Math : Sri Narayanananda Math, RA/ 55, Inderpuri, New Delhi 12, INDIA., and the U.S : N.U Yoga Center, 1418 N. Kedzie Ave. Chicago, Ill. 60651 USA. Two other titles you may be interested in are "Brahmacharya, its necessity and practice for boys and girls" and the more straightforward "Sex-sublimation". All the best !