Theos-Talk Archives (June 1997 Message tl00083)

I came across the following quote by Kalu Rimpoche in
THE GEM ORNAMENT OF MANIFOLD ORAL INSTRUCTIONS that
seemed to nicely deal with the subject being discussed
(page 98)

QUESTION: If your heart is intending to share joy with
another person and you are expressing your love for that
person, how can anything you would do that would be
mutually consenting be considered karmically negative?

ANSWER: This is a complex issue. The karmic recommendation
concerning sexual activity attempts to provide some kind
of stability, so that our sexual activity does not become
the main driving force in our life and a source of
emotional stimulation and agitation. Therefore, general
codes of sexual behavior which are more or less in accord
with the general norm in the human realm are recommended,
to try to keep the sexual aspect in proportion with the
rest of life. I suppose a certain confidence in the Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas as intelligent and omniscient teachers is
required to accept that there is some validity to what may
seem to be a rather curious or unnecessary stricture. What
you say is quite true. If there is basic love and sharing
between two people, it would seem that very little that is
harmful would ever come of that. It still seems reasonable,
however, that we would do well not to be sexually near a
stupa, or in a temple, or in the presence of our teachers.
This seems to show a reasonable respect.

-- Eldon