[Advaita-l] CELIBACY

[KAMESWARARAO MULA]

Dear Friends,                        One of my friends in the west has sent me an article regarding Celibacy Life style and their Monastic tradition. That I am putting here If any one is interested.
celibateachievement is accountable and to a degree, measurable. "By their fruitsyou shall know them." Although celibacy is capable of many faces, it is capableof wearing many masks. Out of all of its manifest variations, permutations,individualizations, frustrations, failures, or perversions, certain qualitiesmeasure its authenticity: service, complete self-honesty, awareness of theoneness of the human condition, and the capacity to love.There is apersistency to the practice. For centuries celibacy has been a logical andpractical way for some men and women to live their lives and serve a family orclan; also, a celibate way of life has served many people well in their pursuitof and dedication to science, art, politics, or religious goals. It will alwaysremain so. In this sense celibacy has proved itself to be a natural humanphenomenon.Because the desiredrive is so basic a component of human nature and because desire pleasure issuch an intense gratification, celibacy is rare as a life choice. When personsdeclare that they have chosen celibacy as an ascetic practice they oftenreceive a measure of admiration because the discipline required to practice andachieve it is generally acknowledged as a monumental feat. When the delivereris coupled with religious belief, celibacy is regarded as heroic.There is no question in the mind that healthyself-control and limitations on one's desires, including deprivations can leadto interiority of superior quality, and in religious terms, awareness of theUnseen. Beyond intellectual and spiritual awareness celibate process andachievement has wider practical implications related to appropriate restraintand proper use and development of nature and created reality. Alfred NorthWhitehead in his classic Science and the Modern World credits monasticism, sovital in the development of the Christian tradition of celibacy, with making fundamentalcontributions to the development of science. "We owe it to St. Benedictthat monasteries were the homes of practical agriculturalists, as well as ofsaints and of artists and men of learning. The alliance of science withtechnology, by which learning is kept in contact with irreducible and stubbornfacts, owes much to the practical bent of the early monks. The fundamentalrespect for nature and the creativity released by celibacy is part of therecord of celibate tradition, West and East. Celibate asceticism presents manypuzzling facts--"mysteries," if you will, beyond the sense of theword "mystery" as used in religious and theological writings. Thehistory of religious celibacy is rich and diverse. It enjoys a trajectory ofluminaries and sublime reflections in many religious traditions. Celibateascetics constitute a firmament of shining stars and black holes--successes andfailures. Every major religion has contributed to the panoply of the celibateuniverse. One is tempted to use a telescopic approach to catch the essence ofthe infinite glow of a reality that still offers many undiscovered dimensions.
with regardsKameswara Rao