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Celibacy: Time for Reforms?
Dakini
Veteran
July 26 the NY Times published a letter to the editor on celibacy and the Catholic Church. These comments are relevant to celibacy in Buddhism as well.
"[referring to] sexual abuse by priests...the root of the problem is mandatory celibacy.
There is a reason religions with a married clergy have no comparable problem--not that they are problem-free. Celibacy is not a bona fide occupational qualification for ministry. To insist on it insults the institution of marriage, branding it as an impediment to religious service. Also, as recently publicized priestly scandals and crimes around the world attest, this attempted suppression of human sexuality in priests does not work and is arguably an invitation to pathology."
--by D. C. Maguire, professor of theology at Marquette University
The situation in Buddhism is arguably more complex; Zen and Tibetan Buddhism allow monks to marry in some sects, and in TB there are other classes of married teachers, such as Yogis, secular Rinpoches, etc. Some of these non-celibate teachers or clergy also abuse their positions of trust and power, just like some celibate lamas, so celibacy is not the only factor contributing to abuse by clergy.
Personally, I don't think celibacy should be eliminated altogether in Buddhism. There are some devoted individuals who are able to keep to the discipline. I think the monastic life should be freely chosen (children shouldn't be allowed to join monasteries or nunneries) and the monastic population should be limited to those who see monkhood/nunhood as a calling.
for an alternative opinion on whether or not celibacy is the cause of abuse by clergy, see:
http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100415_1.htm
abuse cases in Theravada in the US:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-24/news/ct-met-monk-sex-cases-20110724_1-thai-monks-buddhist-monks-paul-numrich
Is it time to reconsider celibacy, and the manner in which Buddhist monks arrive at their monastic status? Does Prof. Maguire raise some valid points?
"[referring to] sexual abuse by priests...the root of the problem is mandatory celibacy.
There is a reason religions with a married clergy have no comparable problem--not that they are problem-free. Celibacy is not a bona fide occupational qualification for ministry. To insist on it insults the institution of marriage, branding it as an impediment to religious service. Also, as recently publicized priestly scandals and crimes around the world attest, this attempted suppression of human sexuality in priests does not work and is arguably an invitation to pathology."
--by D. C. Maguire, professor of theology at Marquette University
The situation in Buddhism is arguably more complex; Zen and Tibetan Buddhism allow monks to marry in some sects, and in TB there are other classes of married teachers, such as Yogis, secular Rinpoches, etc. Some of these non-celibate teachers or clergy also abuse their positions of trust and power, just like some celibate lamas, so celibacy is not the only factor contributing to abuse by clergy.
Personally, I don't think celibacy should be eliminated altogether in Buddhism. There are some devoted individuals who are able to keep to the discipline. I think the monastic life should be freely chosen (children shouldn't be allowed to join monasteries or nunneries) and the monastic population should be limited to those who see monkhood/nunhood as a calling.
for an alternative opinion on whether or not celibacy is the cause of abuse by clergy, see:
http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100415_1.htm
abuse cases in Theravada in the US:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-24/news/ct-met-monk-sex-cases-20110724_1-thai-monks-buddhist-monks-paul-numrich
Is it time to reconsider celibacy, and the manner in which Buddhist monks arrive at their monastic status? Does Prof. Maguire raise some valid points?
0
Comments
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-24/news/ct-met-monk-sex-cases-20110724_1_thai-monks-buddhist-monks-paul-numrich
to fit their own preferences. It is a form of attachment.
If you want to play soccer, you dont start arguing with the referee
that you should be allowed to use your hands.
If you want to be a buddhist monk or catholic priest, why do you still
want to have sex?
Why is sex so important?
Sex is a sensual pleasure, it does not lead to liberation.
If you cant give up sex, do you think you can free yourself
from other attachments?
the only "rule" i follow is the Dharma... next argument.
Celibate people are celibate because nature (or 'God') made them that way.
It is difficult for superstitious views to be the foundation for extinguishing natural instinctual sexual urges and developing samadhi bliss
you have been warned.
Celibacy in theological callings is mainly implemented because carnal knowledge is deemed to be sinful.
Celibacy in Buddhism is seen as a discipline of detachment form wordly desires.
The two forms of celibacy are quite diffeent.
celibacy is not implemented across the board, in either Theological callings or Buddhist ones.
I really don't see your problem, Dakini.
Is marriage an "impediment to religious service"? Some Zen and Tibetan traditions don't see it that way. They don't see marriage as an impediment to reaching enlightenment, either. Nor did the Buddha, if it's true that some of his householder followers reached enlightenment. Or did he?
I think there's a place for celibacy in any religion, but requiring it for large numbers of people tends to cause problems and to make a travesty of the tradition if monks are sneaking around to break the rules.
I think all teachers should be allowed to marry if celibacy is an issue for them. This would include monks and nuns as well. What they found in Japan is that monks were sleeping with monks. In China the character for hemorrhoids is "temple illness." --Lust for Enlightenment.
Also from this same book: "Most young men who keep themselves strictly chaste find themselves visited by sexual fantasies and torturing longings which are worse for them than occasional visits to the flower-houses..."
We need forms of organized lay practice instead.
Celibacy is okay.
Having a mature and healthy sexual relationship is fine too.
In modern times we can have such a relationship and not have twelve children as a result of it.
Having twelve children is an obstacle in practice – I think.
Why does a person want to become a monk?
Because he wants to devote himself to the goal of nibbana.
None of the people I know want to become a monk.
"why would a person in his right mind want to become a monk?'
my friend asked.
we live in affluent societies where we can choose to be
anything we want to be.
So, if i choose to become a monk, i will be celibate.
if i want to have sex, i wont become a monk.
if i become a monk and decides that i want to have sex.
i will disrobe and then have sex.
in the old days and in poor countries, people become
monks to escape poverty, etc. not all of them, of course.
that is why they still want to have sex.
a study of the sex scandal in the catholic church found
that the offending priests were sexual predators
who entered priesthood with the agenda to sexually abuse
boys.
However, it is my impression that the general quality of Catholic monasticism has in some respects improved since the cessation of child monasticism or forced monastic vows. In the medieval period, many monastic orders had a reputation for unseriousness and corruption, which often prompted break away orders composed of serious, voluntary monks (I.E, the Carthusians, who were both revered and despised for their extreme dedication).
I have had almost no contact with Buddhist monasticism, but I do get the impression that it is harmed by a lack of 'quality control' in terms of recruitment. I suspect that there would be no need to change policies regarding celibacy if monastic institutions were much more picky about their membership. Regarding child monasticism... On one hand, I like to think that there are aspects of monastic life which are probably very good for a young child's development, but it seems to me that graduation to full monk-hood should not be a given.
One problem I can see with shifting Buddhist monasticism to a voluntary-only policy is that the tradition might shrink to the point of irrelevance. While I mentioned that I think that Catholic monasticism has been improved qualitatively by the cessation of forced monasticism, it has certainly diminished quantitatively. This might not be such a big deal for Catholics since the Church is still wealthy enough to support the monastic life in those instances where monasteries are not totally self-sufficient. But Tibetan Buddhism seems like it is already in such a fragile state that a drastic decrease in the number of active monks could constitute a death blow.
So the problem really doesn't lie with celebacy and monastic rules. THe problem lies with people these are more prone to their own greedy desires. So changing the rules just because people are more defiled will just cause BUddhism to be more diluted and less effective. Especially when it comes to reducing Monastic discipline.
Federica, either one of you modes or someone must have hacked my account, because every time I post, comments like "ladies and gentlemen" etc and "Indubitably" automatically gets attached to my message without my consent.
Perhapes you homeboys need to sort ya sheet out first know wat im sayin?
If our society encouraged honesty, we wouldn't have as many of these celibacy issues. Instead we feel shame and hide things. This is why compassion is so important.
Jll, what study was that, that concluded many sexual predators had entered the priesthood due to easy access to children? The study performed by the Catholic church itself concluded that the loose mores of the 1960's were to blame. :wtf: But I came across this quote online from the book: "The Sociopath Next Door"; the #1 career choice of pedophiles is religious leader. #2 choice is law enforcement.
I don't think this applies to Buddhism, but it likely hasn't been studied.
Also, many enjoy sex but view Nibbana is something better than sex
For example, I recently watched a video of a European man who decided to become a monk but said he would miss his girlfriend & sex
Monks come & go. Generally, the strong lasting monks lost interest in sex prior to ordaining
They ordained because they were dissatisfied with worldly life
They were not looking for something "better" than worldly life. Instead, they were searching for something that could bring happiness because they saw no happiness in worldly life
Regards
serves me right. "many sexual predators had entered the priesthood due to easy access to children?"-not many but a few cases. they mentioned that very
few people wanted to become priests, so the standard became lax.
Thanks everyone!
Celibacy is Dogma.
There Is No Place For Dogma In The Dharma.
Non-Returners and Arahants are Celibate :om:
BUddhism is dogma.
dogma-an official system of principles or tenets concerning faith, morals, behavior, etc., as of a church. Synonyms: doctrine, teachings, set of beliefs, philosophy.
@Thao Even the mutual masturbation technique that evolved in Tibetan monasteries is against the Vinaya. But they say it's a lesser downfall than penetration of any sort, so it's a common practice that's tolerated by monastic authorities. But child molestation, not to mention outright child rape, would not only break sexual prohibitions, it would break the "do no harm" principle on which the precepts are based. Certainly, overpowering and abusing children, normalizing abuse in the monastic context, would desensitize monks to suffering, rather than foster the development of compassion. What an upside-down environment!
Out of curiosity, how common is child abuse in the Tibetan monastic environment? I've heard mention of it a number of times, now, but never with reference to any body of evidence. Not expressing skepticism here, just a desire to get acquainted with the facts and a sense of the scale on which this occurs.
an anagami is a non-returner, never returning to the world
have we ever read that the Buddha, like Moses or Mohamed (PBUH), prescribed punishments?
:rant:
When a young child becomes fascinated with dolls or toy soldiers there's nothing you can do to make them voluntarily give up that activity long term. You can bribe them short term with ice cream or a visit to the zoo or something; when that event is over they will still have desire, craving for and attachment to dolls or soldiers.
At some point, however, almost all of us go through a transition wherein these things that seemed to be essential for our happiness are no longer desirable; it's a natural process; the kid who played with dolls starts reading Harry Potter books and stops playing with dolls. It's not a type of deprivation; it's that something more meaningful has replaced that which used to be meaningful.
In that way monks who are truly energized and excited by practicing the dharma, if they make progress in their practice (and I think that's really a key here) and have realizations (which are, in and themselves extremely blissful, as is a stable meditation practice) will naturally value their practice higher than mundane samsaric activities.
I used to watch baseball games on tv religiously; I couldn't imagine not being able to watch these games. A few years ago I gave up my cable service, effectively making my TV useless. I no longer follow sports online or in print, except for an occasional perusal of the headlines to see if anything interesting has happened. So that's real renunciation.
It's NOT the practice of restraining yourself from something you really want. It's what happens when, after contemplating what samsara brings deeply day and night, you achieve the realization that the answer is---suffering and more suffering; and you decide to (as Pabongka Rinpoche put it) "give up on this life" meaning, not to stop enjoying food, friends, books, etc. but rather to stop trying to acquire happiness through them; to realize that NOTHING in samsaric existence brings more than brief pleasure. When you see sex the same way and you see how meditation is superior in its difference (it can bring lasting pleasure/happiness/non-suffering) you naturally want to meditate. Have many Buddhist monks reached that state....probably not; but should there be a place for them to practice where they can support each other in that endeavor? I think so and so did the Buddha!
http://lamashree.org/dalailama_08_childabuse_tibetanbuddhistmonasteries.htm
This is a problem in any environment where children are housed with celibate adults. From time to time there are lawsuits by boy novices in Taiwan and Sri Lanka against monks or abbots, but the charge is always "molestation". I don't know if that means that the treatment in Tibetan monasteries is worse, or if in the other two countries rape is subsumed in "molestation". There was sexual abuse of children in the church-operated Native American boarding schools in Canada and the US, back when the government delegated to the churches its reponsibility to provide a free education to indigenous children.
For example, the dobdo monks were the warrior monks who were aggressive. But when the Chinese invaded and wanted to make changes it was the land owners and lamas who took up arms, and in turn monasteries were burned down and many people were killed.
It was either in this book or another where I read that children fathered by the lamas were sometimes given back to the monasteries.
This began with Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu.
Shinran became a Tendai monk at an early age, and ultimately felt that he was no closer to enlightenment after 20 years, left Mount Hiei monastery, and became a follower in the exclusive Nembutsu practice of Honen Shonin.
Now at this time, it was sort of an open secret that many monks were managing to "get a little action" shall we say, and Shinran felt this was hypocrisy, and there was no purpose in taking a vow if you intend to break it, or will spend much of your time wishing you could break it. On Honen's advise Shinran married and had a family. This of course fits very well with Jodo Shinshu's reliance on Tariki "other power" rather than any contrived effort of the ego "jiriki" for attaining enlightenment.
In the Late 1800's Japan had an anti-Buddhist government who basically outlawed celibacy as a requirement in Buddhist monasteries. I doubt that this law is still on the books...I don't really know though, however I do not think most sects went back to requiring celibacy. As a result, sometimes when Buddhists of varying denominations get together in Asia, the Japanese "monks" are not considered to be monks at all by other sects.
Personally I think that the problem of sexual abuse is more tied to certain types of teacher-student relationships than it is to celibacy. You can find examples of this in Soto Zen for example, where there is no celibacy requirement.
I mean any sect could have it occur (and I would be shocked if it has not occurred in every sect!). It could be consensual affairs that are questionable solely due to the position of the teacher, or it can be outright abuse. I think it is more about human nature than any particular rules.
However where the importance of the teacher-student relationship is more emphasized, I think it creates a situation where it is much more likely that there could be sexual interaction. I'm not sure this occurs often enough to throw the baby out with the bath water though.
For myself, I think celibacy makes sense for most sects of Buddhism for the purpose of non-attachment, but it does not make sense for Jodo Shinshu.
however, it needs to offer a vehicle of liberation for those who are celibate
religions such as Islam and Protestant Christianity strongly denounce celibacy
thus if you are a celibate person seeking another way of life, there must be examples of this in the world
Buddhism offers an example of the joy of no sex
as "Buddhists", we are "guests" of the Buddha in his celibate tradition
the Buddha was kind & compassionate enough to teach for both the celibate & non-celibate
In the case of celibate monasticism, tantric practices involving actual sexual activity, the guru/student relationship.... These are areas of Buddhist practice which are clearly vulnerable to acute abuse, but at the same time, I believe they have merit. They may even be critical to the liberation of some practitioners.
There has got to be a way to preserve the practices while preserving the the unwitting or powerless from harm. In the case of child abuse in monastic environments, maybe the solution is simply to remove children from the environment. But then I start to wonder, should we also remove Physical Education from public schools, given the relative frequency of abuse of students by P.E instructors, sports coaches, etc?
Yes, some schools of Zen allow married monks, especially in Japan, by government decree. What is ignored, is the unfortunate truth that Buddhism has been on the decline in Japan ever since then, and now the temples are often passed down from father to son and the people use them only for burial ceremonies and have little regard for the Buddhist Priests. So allowing marriage and family for monks who are supposed to be dedicated to the temple and Sangha creates a big conflict of interest.
The entire structure of the temple has to change, for the monks to enter a more full life. In the West, we're doing that. In Kwan Um, we've changed the temple focus so the mission is to teach and minister to the lay population, not a small closed group of monks. Monks are not required to move into some temple boarding room and be celebate; they can have families and home lives although their busy schedules mean that most choose to remain single. In other words, it's the familiar model of a church with a married Pastor.
The author of one of the articles I posted a link to agrees with you, Cinorjer. As a Catholic monk-turned-psychologist, he knows a thing or two about celibacy. But I'm not convinced. Perhaps your point is that celibacy doesn't cause people to commit crimes (except when power, secrecy and lack of accountability allow them to get away with it)? It may cause some to be miserable, but not to commit crimes? Well, ok, but that still doesn't address the hypocrisy of allowing monks to visit prostitutes. (Speaking of Zen and TB, again.) If people are sincerely called to devote their lives to spiritual study, but can't handle the celibacy, they should either be allowed a secular venue in which to pursue their interest (in an academic setting, for example), or be allowed to marry, IMO.
@Bhogakapala I think children should be removed from the residential monastic environment. This wouldn't necessarily preclude the opportunity for religious study, however. In old Tibet monks would come to the homes of those who could afford private instruction for their children. Alternatively, monasteries could offer weekend instruction, like Christian "Sunday schools". There would still be some risk involved in the latter case, but it would be lessened considerably. Interesting point about P.E. teachers and coaches, I wasn't aware of that problem. I think it goes back to the need for accountability structures. Sad world. :' (
But on the other hand, I can't see where the harmony and sense of shared dedication in a temple could survive the dynamics of family and romantic relationships.
So beyond insisting that being a monk is a life only adults are allowed to chose, and not something forced upon children, I pretty much have to shug my shoulders.