How do you feel about the Buddhist Kama Sutra.

[Leftimies]

Kama Sutra - Tripitaka.

"If one, longing for sensual pleasure, achieves it, yes, he's enraptured at heart.
The mortal gets what he wants.

But if for that person — longing, desiring — the pleasures diminish,
he's shattered, as if shot with an arrow. Whoever avoids sensual desires
— as he would, with his foot, the head of a snake — goes beyond, mindful,
this attachment in the world.

A man who is greedy for fields, land, gold, cattle, horses,
servants, employees, women, relatives, and many sensual pleasures,
is overpowered with weakness and trampled by trouble, for pain invades him as water,
a cracked boat. So one, always mindful, should avoid sensual desires.
Letting them go, he'd cross over the flood like one who,
having bailed out the boat, has reached the far shore."

- Direct extract.



Quite different from the kama sutra introduced to the West, isn't it? Give me your thoughts on this subject - whether it be comparison to the other kama sutra, your opinion on this one, or whatever. Do you agree with the claim, or do you vehemently disagree?

 

[paarsurrey]

Kama Sutra - Tripitaka.

"If one, longing for sensual pleasure, achieves it, yes, he's enraptured at heart.
The mortal gets what he wants.

But if for that person — longing, desiring — the pleasures diminish,
he's shattered, as if shot with an arrow. Whoever avoids sensual desires
— as he would, with his foot, the head of a snake — goes beyond, mindful,
this attachment in the world.

A man who is greedy for fields, land, gold, cattle, horses,
servants, employees, women, relatives, and many sensual pleasures,
is overpowered with weakness and trampled by trouble, for pain invades him as water,
a cracked boat. So one, always mindful, should avoid sensual desires.
Letting them go, he'd cross over the flood like one who,
having bailed out the boat, has reached the far shore."

- Direct extract.



Quite different from the kama sutra introduced to the West, isn't it? Give me your thoughts on this subject - whether it be comparison to the other kama sutra, your opinion on this one, or whatever. Do you agree with the claim, or do you vehemently disagree?

Please provide the wording of kama sutra that has been introduced to the West; for comparison.

Why the wording has been changed and who did it?

Regards

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Please provide the wording of kama sutra that has been introduced to the West; for comparison.

Why the wording has been changed and who did it?

Regards

The Kama Sutra, to Western people, is typically a book detailing sexual positions wholly independent of what it's named for.

Giving "wording" is irrelevant. They are completely different yet identically named books.

 

[paarsurrey]

The Kama Sutra, to Western people, is typically a book detailing sexual positions wholly independent of what it's named for.

Giving "wording" is irrelevant. They are completely different yet identically named books.

Thanks and regards.

 

[paarsurrey]

Kama Sutra - Tripitaka.

"If one, longing for sensual pleasure, achieves it, yes, he's enraptured at heart.
The mortal gets what he wants.

But if for that person — longing, desiring — the pleasures diminish,
he's shattered, as if shot with an arrow. Whoever avoids sensual desires
— as he would, with his foot, the head of a snake — goes beyond, mindful,
this attachment in the world.

A man who is greedy for fields, land, gold, cattle, horses,
servants, employees, women, relatives, and many sensual pleasures,
is overpowered with weakness and trampled by trouble, for pain invades him as water,
a cracked boat. So one, always mindful, should avoid sensual desires.
Letting them go, he'd cross over the flood like one who,
having bailed out the boat, has reached the far shore."

- Direct extract.



Quite different from the kama sutra introduced to the West, isn't it? Give me your thoughts on this subject - whether it be comparison to the other kama sutra, your opinion on this one, or whatever. Do you agree with the claim, or do you vehemently disagree?

The truthful religion informs us that all natural human instincts have to be harnessed for ethical, moral and spiritual progress and are to be tuned to the purpose of life fixed by the One-True-God.

Buddha narrated the Kama Sutra in the same connection.

Regards

 

[Riverwolf]

Standard ascetic morality. I think it's fine for ascetics to follow it, but it's unhealthy for general people to do so.

 

[Brickjectivity]

The Kama Sutra, to Western people, is typically a book detailing sexual positions wholly independent of what it's named for.

Giving "wording" is irrelevant. They are completely different yet identically named books.

Its funny. Are we talking about Tripitaka or the Trippy Taka?

 

[paarsurrey]

Standard ascetic morality. I think it's fine for ascetics to follow it, but it's unhealthy for general people to do so.

Religion is for everybody; so the truthful religion mentions things which are useful for everybody in ethical, moral and spiritual realms.

Regards

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Religion is for everybody; so the truthful religion mentions things which are useful for everybody in ethical, moral and spiritual realms.

Regards

Ignoring human sexuality is rarely useful to anyone.

 

[Willamena]

Standard ascetic morality. I think it's fine for ascetics to follow it, but it's unhealthy for general people to do so.

The ascetic is the literal take, but it's valid for a non-literal take as well. I don't see it as being unhealthy.

 

[Riverwolf]

Religion is for everybody; so the truthful religion mentions things which are useful for everybody in ethical, moral and spiritual realms.

Regards

Unfortunately, human psychology and behavior makes that impossible to be true, IMO. Every individual is an individual, and what's healthy for one may be poison for another.

 

[Riverwolf]

The ascetic is the literal take, but it's valid for a non-literal take as well. I don't see it as being unhealthy.

Can you explain how you take this particular passage non-literally? It seems to be intended as literal.

 

[paarsurrey]

Ignoring human sexuality is rarely useful to anyone.

Buddha did marry and had a faithful and loving wife and a son.

Regards

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Buddha did marry and had a faithful and loving wife and a son.

Regards

No, Gautama Siddhartha married. The Buddha is something he became after renouncing his family.

 

[paarsurrey]

Gautama Siddhartha had a faithful wife and a son. His wife waited for his return. When Buddha got enlightenment they both joined Buddha's religion.

Regards

 

[Riverwolf]

Gautama Siddhartha had a faithful wife and a son. His wife waited for his return. When Buddha got enlightenment they both joined Buddha's religion.

Regards

One version of the story I heard was that he never came home, and later heard that his hometown had been raided and burnt to the ground, killing his wife and son.

 

[paarsurrey]

One version of the story I heard was that he never came home, and later heard that his hometown had been raided and burnt to the ground, killing his wife and son.

YASODHARA was Buddha’s wife and RAHULA his son.

One may like to search (control+ F) for them in the following document of “Gospel of Buddha”.

http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/bud-gosp.txt

 

[Riverwolf]

YASODHARA was Buddha’s wife and RAHULA his son.

One may like to search (control+ F) for them in the following document of “Gospel of Buddha”.

http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/bud-gosp.txt

...all well and good, but that doesn't change the fact that I've heard this alternative version. Granted, the source was a documentary about the Buddha, but still, an alternative story exists.

 

[DreadFish]

One version of the story I heard was that he never came home, and later heard that his hometown had been raided and burnt to the ground, killing his wife and son.

In the Anapanasati Sutta, in the Tripitaka, the Buddha teaches his son, Rahula, how to practice anapanasati and his son then practices it and is unbound. Do you know where the other story comes from? Is it also in the Tripitaka?


As for the OP, I think it's suitable for some people, but I don't take it to be a universal fact. Tilopa, the Buddhist Mahasiddha said that enjoyment is not the problem, attachment is the problem. For some people, it is very hard to do pleasurable things and not be attached to them, but for others it is easier. The point is, when something enjoyable happens, enjoy it, and when it ends, let it end and move on. Don't lust after pleasure and long for it, accept it when it happens and accept pain when it happens. Pleasure isn't so much in the sensory experience as it is in acceptance of whatever is going on.

So, some people need to distance themselves from certain pleasures because they will be distracted by them and attached to them.

 

[Riverwolf]

In the Anapanasati Sutta, in the Tripitaka, the Buddha teaches his son, Rahula, how to practice anapanasati and his son then practices it and is unbound. Do you know where the other story comes from? Is it also in the Tripitaka?

No. I heard it from a documentary about the Buddha.

But I think that documentary was more from the Mahayana and Tibetan perspectives of Buddhism, since the Dalai Lama was one of the prominent interviewees.

I'm not necessarily saying that one is true and the other false; it's more likely historically that he would have returned to his wife and kid. I'm just pointing out that the story of the Buddha has many variations.