Jeff Wilson reviews Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism by José Ignacio Cabezón. From the Winter 2017 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly. Decades in the making, José Ignacio Cabezón’s Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism is a massive, ambitious, and important project. Given its in-depth investigation of the subject, and Cabezón’s status as [...]
Commentary: Sexual Misconduct Is No Joke
To victims of sexual misconduct, writes Buddhadharma editor Tynette Deveaux, "we stand with you." Here are some resources that can help survivors, allies, and bystanders cope with misconduct. I woke up the other day to a distressing Facebook post forwarded to me by a colleague. The post, by a well-known Rinpoche, makes fun of the issue of sexual misconduct and abuse by [...]
Revisiting the Traditional Buddhist Views on Sex and Sexuality
When it comes to sex, Western Buddhists tend to be fairly liberal. But as scholar José Cabezón explains, Buddhist tradition takes a much more conservative approach, prohibiting, among other things, oral or anal sex, male homosexuality, and even sex during daylight hours. He challenges us not to dismiss traditional Buddhist views on sexuality but rather to critically examine [...]
Healthy Desire: A Buddhist’s View of Mindfulness & Sex
Buddhist practitioner Ray Buckner shares how bringing mindfulness into sex helps us develop a healthier relationship with both ourselves and our partner, and deepens our connection between mind and body. Eyes wide, out of breath, I remember my exact words. Spoken slowly and softly, I said, “Wow. That was literally the most amazing experience I have ever had in my entire [...]
Flesh Sex Desire
Karen Connelly feels the heat. Flesh. Sex. Desire. It’s not the only holy trinity, but it’s my favorite one, Buddhist noble truths notwithstanding. All Buddhist schools agree on the second noble truth—that we suffer because we desire. I know it. There is no way to wiggle out of it. Trust me, I’ve tried. Changing the vocabulary to “attachment” does not work at all. [...]
Watch the heartwarming “Love Has No Labels” — the first PSA to win an Emmy
We first shared this beautiful PSA in March of 2015. Now, it's the first PSA to win an Emmy Award. "Love Has No Labels," made by the Ad Council as part of a year-long campaign about implicit bias, reminds us about love's power to cross any and all perceived boundaries. "Most of us aren’t even conscious of our prejudice," the campaign's website explains. "That’s why [...]
The Sex Talk
Artist Rima Fujita helps teach Tibetan kids the facts of life. Just like youth in the West, Tibetans are having sex at an increasingly early age. Never having received sex education in school, many of them are getting pregnant and contracting STDs. When the Tibetan government-in exile resolved to tackle this issue, they held a writing contest at Tibetan refugee schools, and [...]
On Awakening Through Race, Sexuality, and Gender
I was hungry when I attended my first Nichiren Buddhist meeting in 1988. I mean that literally. I wanted to go out to eat at a restaurant with two friends of mine, but they insisted that I first attend a Buddhist meeting with them that evening before we ate. With some irritation and a good deal of resistance I sat through the meeting with the group as they [...]
Why you should take Andrew Sullivan’s Buddhism-and-sex “Dish” with a grain of salt
Are Buddhists hornier, or at least more promiscuous, than other religious groups? "Which Religions are the Most Chaste?", a new post from high-profile "Dish" blogger Andrew Sullivan might lead you to believe that, but here's why you should take it with a grain of salt. In their study "Religion and Sexual Behaviors," City University of New York researchers Amy Adamczyk [...]
From The Under 35 Project: “Fame in My Brain”
Together with friend and author Lodro Rinzler, Lion's Roar is bringing you weekly selections from Shambhala Publications’ Under 35 Project, which gathers original writings by younger Buddhist practitioners. The latest is Sarah Jackson’s funny and honest “Fame in My Brain. ” Comfort levels were at a dangerously high level that day, due to heavy rain and depression. I am [...]
