Sex (Core Tenet #5)

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 Topic: Sex (Core Tenet #5)

(Full disclosure: I have taken a vow of celibacy, for personal rather than spiritual reasons. I have not been in any kind of sexual relationship in five years, and the last one I was in was highly toxic.)

Most monotheistic belief systems are obsessed with sex. Specifically, forbidding certain sexual acts. In some cases, everything but the missionary position (after dark, with the lights out and trying not to look at each other) is prohibited. Some religions don’t let you have sex until you’re married, at which point you’re expected to go at it like bunnies to breed up the next generation of obedient little sheep.

According to Core Tenet #5, the Path teaches us that we are free to have sex with as many other people as we want. We don’t have to be married, our partners can be any sex or gender, and we aren’t limited to one at a time. This is because your body belongs to you, and the Path is more interested in the development and eventual Enlightenment of your mind. The only requirement is that anyone you choose to have sex with is a consenting adult.

Core Tenets #5 and #6 complement one another. One tells us to respect the sexual orientations and gender expressions of everyone, including ourselves. The other specifically encourages seekers of Enlightenment to be fully realized human beings who form mutually consenting adult sexual relationships if they so choose.

So explore your sexuality, alone and with others. Examine yourself and figure out where you fall on the orientation spectrum, what you want your gender expression to be, and if there are any kinks you are interested in. Once you’ve done that, look for your dating pool and make sure you are finding those whose orientation and expression are compatible with yours.

With the right mindset, sexual acts can be a way to connect with the divine aspect of the Universe. Sex is an act that connects the body and the soul in a profound way. In the moment of climax, you are vulnerable and open to spiritual inspiration, and you can even use that inspiration to spur you into creative endeavors. It does not matter who you are having sex with, or even if you are by yourself. The potential for a deep and meaningful spiritual experience is there.

Do you adhere to any sexual restrictions for spiritual reasons? Do Path teachings inform those restrictions in any way?

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