The Buddhist View on Sexuality and Sexual Education according to the Scriptures

ABSTRACT

In this article the Buddhist teachings about sexuality are analyzed in relation to the sexual problems of the present. In Buddhism, sexual or sensual desire is understood as that which should be overcome because too much indulgence in sexual pleasure inevitably results in suffering. This awareness should be a fundamental basis of Buddhist sexual education in order that voluntary self-restraint can be possible. In the Mahāyāna Buddhist scriptures there are some teachings which contradict one another. While the Prajna Paramita Sutra, for example, claims that enjoyment of the five kinds of worldly happiness should not be regarded as unwholesome, so long as one keeps to practice to be liberated from the samsaric world, other scriptures describe severe punishments for improper sexual conduct in order to inhibit people from engaging in such misconduct. The reason why Buddhist teachings discourage sensual pleasure is not to deny people happiness, but because such happiness is fleeting and Buddhist teachings point the way to real happiness. Sexual life is important for a happy marriage, but what is more important in family life is the love and understanding between partners and a proper nurturing relationship between parent and child. Without maintaining a proper perspective regarding sensual desires, voluntary self-restraint is impossible. Therefore the starting point of Buddhist sexual education should be providing an understanding of the true nature of sexual desire.