Feeding sensual / sexual desire...

Bunks

I feel like this is a silly question but would it be fair to say that feeding our sensual / sexual desires increases them?

Did the Buddha have anything to say about this?

Geoff-Allen

Hi there!

The Buddha had a LOT 2 say about desire & how it leads 2 suffering ...

http://www.zenguide.com/principles/causes_of_suffering.cfm

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html

Hope this helps ...

Cheers

Jeffrey

I think the way the brain is layed out if we get a high from something when we are nervous we want to get back to that high. And it's not just a thought, rather our bodies feel the craving and it is so urgent. I'm not sure what the Buddha said as I am not much of a scholar. The teaching for attachment to sense pleasures is to reflect on suffering.

TheEccentric

Then venerable Maha Moggallana approached the Blessed One worshipped and sat on a side and said thus to the Blessed One: Venerable sir, does the Blessed One remember explaining the release through the destruction of craving in short to a certain powerful non human. Maha Moggallana, I remember. Here, Sakka the king of gods approached worshipped me and stood on a side and asked Venerable sir, how is the Bhikkhu released with the destruction of craving in short? How does he become highly perfect and thoroughly come to the end of the yoke and the end of the holy life. Moggallana, when this was said, I said thus, to Sakka the king of gods, Here, king of gods, the Bhikkhu becomes learned, that anything is not suitable to settle in. He becomes learned, learning all things thoroughly and accurately recognizing all things. He feels whatever feelings pleasant, or unpleasant or neither unpleasant nor pleasant. He sees impermanence in these feelings. Detaching his mind from them and seeing their cessation, gives them up. Thus he abides seeing impermanence, detachment, cessation and giving up of those feelings, does not seize anything in the world. Not seizing does not worry. Not worried is internally extinguished. Birth is destroyed. What should be done is done, the holy life lived, knows there is nothing more to wish. O! king of gods, with this much done the Bhikkhu is released with the destruction of craving in short. Become highly perfect, thoroughly come to the end of the yoke and the end of the holy life. Becomes the chief among gods and men.. Moggallana, I remember explaining the release through the destruction of craving in short to Sakka the king of gods, thus.

I put in bold what is relevant to your question

I think this answers your question... I think in this Sutra its trying to say that you should detach yourself from the craving and not let it make you "seize" something because seezing something to feed the desire/craving does not end them but increases them so the best way is just to detach yourself from them and not give in to them, not sure if this helped but oh well.

seeker242

Bunks said:

I feel like this is a silly question but would it be fair to say that feeding our sensual / sexual desires increases them?

Did the Buddha have anything to say about this?

Yes, he said precisely that in The Ahara Sutta, SN 46.51, and others. And he said they are fed with inappropriate attention and starved with appropriate attention.

"Monks, I will teach you the feeding & starving of the five hindrances & of the seven factors for Awakening. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak...

Feeding the Hindrances

"And what is the food for the arising of unarisen sensual desire, or for the growth & increase of sensual desire once it has arisen? There is the theme of beauty. To foster inappropriate attention to it: This is the food for the arising of unarisen sensual desire, or for the growth & increase of sensual desire once it has arisen.

Starving the Hindrances

"Now, what is lack of food for the arising of unarisen sensual desire, or for the growth & increase of sensual desire once it has arisen? There is the theme of unattractiveness. To foster appropriate attention to it: This is lack of food for the arising of unarisen sensual desire, or for the growth & increase of sensual desire once it has arisen.

Seems like most times when a sutta mentions "appropriate attention", it also mentions feeding and starving hindrances and virtues. If you search "appropriate attention" on accesstoinsight.org, a bunch of stuff comes up.

how

Bunks said:

I feel like this is a silly question but would it be fair to say that feeding our sensual / sexual desires increases them?

Did the Buddha have anything to say about this?

@Bunks
Has this not also been your experience? Are we not computers faced with thousands binary switches to throw that either power up or power down our sexuality?

Bunks

I would probably say yes but that doesn't mean everyone else is the same.

karasti

Not always. Being intimate with my husband does not make me crave more. It is what it is for the moment and then it passes. Whether another intimate moment is on the horizon tomorrow, next week or next month remains to be seen and it's not something I think about, honestly. With other things, the desires are more difficult for me to let go of. Just depends on the person. I have a much harder time not stuffing my face with flaming hot cheetos than I do craving sex.

misecmisc1

Bunks said:

I feel like this is a silly question but would it be fair to say that feeding our sensual / sexual desires increases them?

Did the Buddha have anything to say about this?

My understanding of Buddha's teachings says: Yes, feeding our sensual / sexual desires increases them. Feeding desires to satisfy them is like feeding fuel to a fire to extinguish the fire, but what happens is the fire will burn more high, so feeding desires to satisfy the desires will increase the desires.

Florian

This is easily established in experience. Not eating leads to a lowering of appetite. It's just psychology and physiology. Not so easy to starve these cravings in practice though.

What I like to keep in mind is how the Buddha was tempted by Mara with erotic tricks, but turned the dancing girls into cherry blossom. Or, maybe, turned his response to them into the same response he'd have to cherry blossom.