SOME EASTERN ATTITUDES ABOUT SEXUALITY. TAOISM AND TANTRISM
Taoism
Taoism is an ancient Chinese teaching that offers insight and guidance in the art of living a harmonious life. There are Tao teachings с health, spirituality, and sexuality. The Tao teaches that sex is necessary for the general health of all people. To deny the sexual energy in the body can create health problems. The Tao teaches that to be against sex is to be against life.
The foundation of the Tao teaching is the concept of the energies of the yin and the yang. Yin energy is water and feminine-receptive, calm, and negatively charged energy. Yang is fire and masculine—active, stimulating, and positively charged. Everyone has yin and yang energies and must keep them in balance. No one is pun female or male.
The Tao of Loving teaches that sexual union is the way worn and men share and balance their yin and yang. Various meditation techniques and sexual positions provide healing for the body by stirring and regulating the flow of energy.
The Tao of Loving opposes masturbation in men in the belief t semen contains vital energies needed by the body. Ejaculation sacrifices a man’s spiritual, mental, and physical energy. The Tao teaches men to remain strong and satisfy their sex partners by reserving ejaculation. It suggests that sex will be more enjoyable if ejaculation is the goal. Many positions and techniques are suggested, including erotic deep kissing and oral sex, as well as ways to induce retrograde ejaculation, in which semen is ejaculated into the bladder inst of out of the penis. Experimentation is encouraged to find out which techniques and positions best suit each couple.
Women have become more subordinate in Taoist teaching in years since it began, more than 2,300 years ago. They are now regarded as less than equal to men. But great importance is still given women’s pleasure in the Tao of Loving.
Tantrism
Tantric sex is meant to be a divine meditation and a way to connect to God. Tantrism is believed to have originated in India thousands of years ago. It is an aspiration to spiritual enlightenment that is achieved by channeling the life energy, kundalini, through the seven energy points of the body that are called chakras. Spiritual ecstasy or bliss can be achieved by controlled breathing, energy flow, and assuming certain positions.
As in the Tao, everyone has female and male energies that should be kept in balance. Because the spiritual energy of men is more limited than that of women, the Tantra teaches men to enjoy sex without the loss of semen, which is associated with spiritual energy. Men learn to control ejaculation so that intercourse is prolonged for hours. Sexual arousal is considered an energy that is maintained for its own sake, not for reaching orgasm.
The Rite of the Five Essences is a Tantric love ritual performed using the “five enjoyments”—wine, meat, fish, cereal grain, and sexual intercourse. Music, incense, candlelight, and flowers are also used to enhance this “communion.” Meditation is used to awaken the kundalini. Centuries ago, a guru would preside over such Tantric rituals. The guru would watch over several couples to ensure they used the correct techniques to aspire to the higher order of the Tantra without becoming self-indulgent. The original meaning of the beliefs and rituals may be lost in the practice of Tantrism in today’s Western cultures.
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