Sexual Passion ...

One day, His disciple Chiba told Yamaoka Tesshu : "To really practice Zazen, one has to cut off all sexual passion" 

Tesshu laughed : "Oh really ! And how are you going to do that ? Is not sexual passion the root of all existence ?"
"I will separate from my wife and all other women - this way sexual temptation will not arise !"

"Brilliant ! Is that not a little selfish ? What about your wife? The faithful companion of these past 20 years? ... Staying away from women is no way to cut off sexual passion; it's just trying to suppress it !"

"Then how should I cut it off ? "

"Throw yourself fully into the world of sexual passion - all of them. There only you will find release from them. Love your wife with all your heart, and find enlightenment in the middle of everyday's life!"...

Tesshu's position agrees with one principle of modern psychology: the more we try to suppress something we do not like about ourselves, the more it comes back to haunt us. 

One major difficulty met by mystics of all traditions is sexuality. Denying the body's needs is a tricky thing.

If you prevent the safety valve on top of your water heater to open, the pressure builds up inside and eventually, the whole thing blows up with great damages...

KABOOM...

This does not mean Tesshu's recommendation would safely apply to everyone of us. Actually, his wife was so unpleased with his way to deal with sexual passion that she threatened to divorce him and kill their children (she was indeed of Samurai Blood) to make him adopt a different path.

The Noble Eightfold Path does not deny sexuality but recommends to not use it in a way that could harm anyone.

We are living here and now, cravings and attachments are real, because we make them so. Believing that the satisfaction of Sexual Passion - or any other craving - can give us happiness is a mistake. Believing we can obliterate it and that this will make us happy is another one. 

Bokusan and the angry Samurai

During the dark times of the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in nineteenth century Japan, (As described in the movie "The last Samurai") a fugitive samurai had taken refuge in a Zen temple ruled by Zen master Nishiari Bokusan. 

Three samurai from the other army arrived and demanded to be told where the fugitive was. 

"There is nobody here," said the Zen master.

"If you won't tell us,then we'll chop your head off" and they drew their swords. 

"Well if I am to die," said the Zen master, " Then I think I'll have some Sake."

He took a small bottle of Sake, poured it, and sipped it with great pleasure. 

The puzzled samurai looked at one another and left...

Master Bokusan once said about this incident :

"Well, you can learn something from it : When those guys came, I did not do what they wanted, but neither did I argue or plead with them. I just gave up their whole world and had nothing to do with them. And after a while they were gone."

"Similarly when you complain that you are overwhelmed with passions and bad  thoughts, you should know that the proper way is not to quarrel, plead or argue. Just give up their world and have nothing to do with them.  After a while you will see that they have gone away."