CHAPTER 12 

THE PROBLEM OF SEX IN SPIRITUAL LIFE 

The Influence of Sex on Life 

Sex is an important problem in spiritual life. Every aspirant must come to grips with it one day or other in his life. As some of the modern Psychologists have pointed out, sex plays an important part in an average man’s life, and absorbs a lot of his thinking, feeling and willing. Those who want to lead an intense spiritual life should first of all reduce his dominance of sex in their lives. Those who have led a pure life from an early age will find the problem easier. But the modern young man turns to spiritual life after collecting lots of impure thoughts. He generally finds a huge jungle to clear before he can successfully take up spiritual life.

The chief difficulty about sex is that it exists at various levels of personality. Sex is not all physical. Apart from the Physiological urges, sex exists in the mental planes as subtle attractions or fascinations. It is like an iceberg just the tip of which is seen outside. The more introspective an aspirant becomes, the more he understands the subtle ramifications of sex within him. Very often this frightens people. Few people can face the great challenge that the control of sex offers. But unless one fully meets it, there can be no true spiritual life. One needs tremendous grit, an iron will for this. If an ordinary man gets a peep into the mind of a true spiritual aspirant, he will be frightened away. It is like the interior of a blast furnace where pure metal is being constantly separated from the ore.