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Video Information: 24.08.31, Vedant: Basics to Classics, Greater Noida
Description:
In this video, Acharya ji addresses the topic of sexual desires, particularly focusing on homosexuality and its place in human experience. The discussion begins with the assertion that whether one is homosexual or heterosexual, the underlying issue is body identification and the pursuit of physical desires. Acharya ji emphasizes that both homosexual and heterosexual desires are simply desires and do not lead to true fulfillment.
Acharya ji argues that society often reduces individuals to their sexual orientation, neglecting other aspects of their identity, such as their interests, talents, and values. This fixation on sexual identity is critiqued as a narrow perspective that overlooks the broader human experience. Acharya ji suggests that true fulfillment lies beyond carnal interests and that individuals should strive for a spiritual center rather than being consumed by sexual desires.
The conversation also touches on the historical presence of homosexuality, asserting that it has existed throughout civilization and is not inherently special or problematic. Acharya ji encourages a more holistic view of human beings, advocating for a focus on creativity, exploration, and personal growth rather than an obsession with sexual orientation.
Towards the end, Acharya ji discusses the correlation between LGBTQ+ inclusion and economic development, noting that countries with more inclusive attitudes tend to be more prosperous. However, the emphasis remains on the importance of fostering a liberal and accepting mindset for its own sake, rather than solely for economic benefits.
Context:
~ The Truth About Homosexuality: Facts, Myths, and Acceptance
~ How to Build a Supportive Environment for LGBTQ+ Individuals
~ Exploring the Roots of Homosexual Desire: A Scientific and Personal Perspective
~ Finding Peace with Your Sexual Orientation: Personal Stories and Professional Advice
~ Embracing LGBTQ+ Identities: Understanding and Acceptance Tips
~ From Confusion to Clarity: Understanding Your Sexual Orientation
References:
A Brief History of Western Homosexuality
https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/honors/documents/journals/sexinstone/Zive.pdf
Links Between Economic Development and New Measures of LGBT Inclusion
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/gdp-and-lgbt-inclusion/
Music Credits: Milind Date
Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/hi/enquiry-gita-course?cmId=m00046
📚 Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books?
Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?cmId=m00046
📝 Read 3 handpicked wisdom articles, just for you: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/articles?cmId=m00046
➖➖➖
#AcharyaPrashant #आचार्यप्रशांत #Philosophy #BhagavadGita
➖➖➖
Video Information: 24.08.31, Vedant: Basics to Classics, Greater Noida
Description:
In this video, Acharya ji addresses the topic of sexual desires, particularly focusing on homosexuality and its place in human experience. The discussion begins with the assertion that whether one is homosexual or heterosexual, the underlying issue is body identification and the pursuit of physical desires. Acharya ji emphasizes that both homosexual and heterosexual desires are simply desires and do not lead to true fulfillment.
Acharya ji argues that society often reduces individuals to their sexual orientation, neglecting other aspects of their identity, such as their interests, talents, and values. This fixation on sexual identity is critiqued as a narrow perspective that overlooks the broader human experience. Acharya ji suggests that true fulfillment lies beyond carnal interests and that individuals should strive for a spiritual center rather than being consumed by sexual desires.
The conversation also touches on the historical presence of homosexuality, asserting that it has existed throughout civilization and is not inherently special or problematic. Acharya ji encourages a more holistic view of human beings, advocating for a focus on creativity, exploration, and personal growth rather than an obsession with sexual orientation.
Towards the end, Acharya ji discusses the correlation between LGBTQ+ inclusion and economic development, noting that countries with more inclusive attitudes tend to be more prosperous. However, the emphasis remains on the importance of fostering a liberal and accepting mindset for its own sake, rather than solely for economic benefits.
Context:
~ The Truth About Homosexuality: Facts, Myths, and Acceptance
~ How to Build a Supportive Environment for LGBTQ+ Individuals
~ Exploring the Roots of Homosexual Desire: A Scientific and Personal Perspective
~ Finding Peace with Your Sexual Orientation: Personal Stories and Professional Advice
~ Embracing LGBTQ+ Identities: Understanding and Acceptance Tips
~ From Confusion to Clarity: Understanding Your Sexual Orientation
References:
A Brief History of Western Homosexuality
https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/honors/documents/journals/sexinstone/Zive.pdf
Links Between Economic Development and New Measures of LGBT Inclusion
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/gdp-and-lgbt-inclusion/
Music Credits: Milind Date
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00In the same light, how do we look upon the homosexual desires which develop within us?
00:07How does it matter whether you are a homosexual, heterosexual, you are still body-identified,
00:12you are running after a male body, you are running after a female body.
00:15The lust for body is still there.
00:17It's not about running after that hole compared to this hole in the body.
00:21Holes are holes.
00:22I do not mean that you should fly out of your body.
00:25But there has to be life beyond carnal interests.
00:28If one has homosexual desires, they are desires.
00:32If a man lusts after a woman, that too is a desire.
00:35So you do get something.
00:36But that which you get out of heterosexual activity, does that fulfill you?
00:41Does the kid ever satisfy you?
00:43Out of homosexual activity, you do not get a kid.
00:45You remain unfulfilled.
00:47But you remain unfulfilled in heterosexual activity also.
00:50Is there no better way to look at a human being?
00:53You do not ask a person, do you read, do you dance, do you love, do you care?
00:57We don't ask.
00:58We ask him, are you gay, are you lesbian, are you straight?
01:01If you are so sexual, then you cannot be good even at sex.
01:04If you are so obsessed with sex, sex will become a mania for you.
01:12Namaste Acharyaji.
01:14My question to you, my question is that as far as sexual desires are concerned, we have
01:21got to learn that as far as heterosexual desires are concerned, there is a part which is biological.
01:28And the rest of it is in mind.
01:30In the same light, how do we look upon the homosexual desires which develop within us
01:37and how to come at ease with these desires in our daily life?
01:43Thank you, sir.
01:49So many things that are happening in Prakriti.
01:55It's a very eclectic kind of dance.
02:07You cannot have each step of that dance correspond to certain value standards.
02:21Homosexuality is nothing new.
02:27It has been present since the very advent of civilization.
02:35We have known it to be present since then.
02:38It must have been present even before that.
02:43So, just as you don't ask how to make peace,
02:49with the unseemly and ungainly thing called nose.
02:59Such a bizarre thing.
03:01Nose.
03:02Randomly jutting out.
03:06It's there.
03:07It's a fact.
03:08You don't ask how to make peace with it.
03:11Similarly, you don't ask how to make peace with homosexuality.
03:14It just exists.
03:15There is nothing special about it.
03:18It is there, fine.
03:20And it is present not only in homo sapiens but in several other species as well.
03:26Nothing fantastic about it.
03:30How does it matter whether you are a homosexual, heterosexual,
03:33you are still body identified,
03:35you are running after a male body or running after a female body.
03:40The lust for body is still there.
03:48I don't see how heterosexuals can claim to be inherently superior
03:54to homosexuals or others in any way.
04:04If there is somebody who can claim to be superior,
04:07it is the one who has seen the body for what the body really is.
04:12Just a biological thing.
04:15The superior being is the one who stops running after the body.
04:20It's not about running after that hole compared to this hole in the body.
04:24Holes are holes.
04:27You are trying to enter the same kind of cave,
04:30whether from the front or the back.
04:34You will reach the same place more or less.
04:42And who is inside the cave?
04:44Maya?
04:46How does it matter where you came from?
04:53Who is the wise person?
04:55Who is the liberated one?
04:59Who has a life outside of the cave?
05:04By cave I mean the human body.
05:08I do not mean that you should fly out of your body.
05:12But there has to be life beyond carnal interests.
05:26If one has homosexual desires, they are desires.
05:32If a man lusts after a woman, that too is a desire.
05:42And neither of these desires take you anywhere.
05:50Yes, the product of one kind of desire might be a baby.
05:55The other kind of desire does not lead to procreation.
05:59But still, does the baby fulfill you?
06:04Yes, there is a result in the form of fertilization and reproduction.
06:11So you do get something.
06:12But that which you get out of heterosexual activity, does that fulfill you?
06:18Does the kid ever satisfy you?
06:21Out of homosexual activity, you do not get a kid.
06:25You remain unfulfilled.
06:26But you remain unfulfilled in heterosexual activity also.
06:32No kind of sexual activity is ever going to fulfill you.
06:37Yesterday I tweeted.
06:47Spiritual periphery from a sexual center.
06:51That's the common man.
06:53The hypocrite.
06:56The center is sexual but he remains spiritual on the periphery.
07:01He does all the religious things and all the rituals and this and that.
07:09The center is sexual, the periphery is spiritual.
07:13This is before and then after.
07:18Spiritual center, sexual periphery.
07:23What you do on the periphery is your business.
07:25You mind it.
07:27You are not answerable to anybody.
07:30But the center must be spiritual.
07:33It is the center that counts.
07:36What you do on the periphery is mother nature's business.
07:46Let the center be rightly placed.
07:50And forget about what happens on the periphery.
07:54If the center is right, the center will take care of the periphery.
07:58The center will take care of the circumference.
08:10These are trivial questions.
08:13Do not be weighed down by these.
08:25Red shirt or white shirt.
08:28How is that a spiritual question?
08:38Is there no better way to look at a human being?
08:43Are we so damn internally sexual that the only way we can look at a human being
08:54is through his sexual preferences?
08:58You do not ask a person.
09:03Do you read? Do you dance? Do you love?
09:10Do you care? We don't ask.
09:13We ask him, are you gay? Are you lesbian? Are you straight?
09:18What kind of assessment is this?
09:23What kind of value standards are these?
09:35If there was somebody called God and could he be met?
09:41A lot of our purists, the first thing they would ask, are you straight?
09:45Is there no better question to ask?
10:03Is there nothing more important to look at?
10:07Body, body, body, sex, sex, sex.
10:10Nothing else.
10:31So a couple of days back in a session, you said that we must be listening to you, for example, and not elsewhere.
10:40But I think one thing which got revealed today is that even if, for example, we are not listening to so-called,
10:47but we are always listening to ourselves, as you just said.
10:51So I think that is as dangerous to listening to.
10:57I mean, because in our own minds, we were saying we're not listening to anyone else,
11:01but then we're always listening to.
11:04And at the same time, when we talk about self introspection,
11:09but will that also not lead us to self talk?
11:13Not introspection, I said observation.
11:16Observation means looking at the self, but not as the self.
11:21At the self, but not as the self.
11:26Looking at yourself, but not as yourself.
11:32Looking at Rohit, but not as Rohit.
11:37Because if Rohit looks at Rohit, everything is alright.
11:42So Rohit has to look at himself as nobody.
11:47As an independent observer.
11:51It has to be freedom looking at Rohit, not Rohit looking at Rohit.
11:56Rohit has to be free to look at himself.
12:00Rohit looks at himself, everything is already alright.
12:04No change.
12:12Introspection and observation are not the same thing.
12:18Introspection is more or less the same like self talk and getting into.
12:28Actually, even purer than observation is witnessing,
12:33but it has become so loaded, I try to avoid using it.
12:37The moment I say witness, people start having notions.
12:44But the essence of observation is witnessing.
12:52Which is detachment.
12:55Look at yourself detached from yourself.
13:03So one more question which came from the first response.
13:09Like Shri Krishna, as you were saying,
13:12was looking to get Arjun to throne because he would be the one who then make policies and all.
13:20In that case, why didn't Shri Krishna himself want to be on the throne?
13:23Because that could have been the best possible.
13:27We'll have to ask him.
13:30Maybe it was not practical.
13:36The teachings tell of the absolute,
13:39but the implementation has to be in the domain of what is practically possible.
13:47I do not see how Shri Krishna could have taken the crown for himself.
13:55It looks a bit difficult for Muniyashtava because of the way he has.
14:00But then for Shri Krishna, it looks probably he could have.
14:05He would have thought about it.
14:09And having seen that it does not look feasible, he would have discounted it.
14:18Were it possible, he would have done it.
14:21Were it possible, he would have done it.
14:31See, if it were practical, the teacher would personally pick up
14:36each single one of the students
14:40and put them in some basket above.
14:43But it's not practically possible.
14:51Maybe he didn't want to come to a situation
14:54where both Kauravas and Pandavas were fighting against Shri Krishna.
15:06Moreover, if that were to be done, how would you get the Gita?
15:11Moreover, if that were to be done, how would you get the Gita?
15:15Moreover, if that were to be done, how would you get the Gita?
15:26For the teacher, it's not so much about doing the right thing himself.
15:32It's about getting the student to do the right thing.
15:41The Gita is possible only when there is a student who is unwilling
15:51and he has to be brought to the right center and the right action.
15:59There are limits to the teacher's power as a person.
16:04You have to understand that.
16:07You know what happened to Krishna's own clan after the war.
16:13Krishna could not stop that.
16:16If we are to believe the legend,
16:20the Yadavas all died in fighting.
16:33They didn't even need an external enemy.
16:37They all fought among themselves and got wiped out.
16:46Krishna couldn't prevent that.
16:51It was a very sorry closure to the entire story.
16:56And that tells a very important lesson.
17:01In the world of people and persons and Maya,
17:10the teacher is a very helpless entity in fact.
17:14He knows everything but has power over nothing.
17:20And that's a very very frustrating situation to be in.
17:26People are sovereign individuals.
17:28They decide what becomes of their life.
17:39It's what they decide to make of themselves.
17:43The teacher can at most speak, guide, show, demonstrate.
17:51At most hand hold.
17:54But he cannot kidnap people and place them at their destination.
18:04So he is pretty helpless in that regard.
18:16Even after the war,
18:19not only on Krishna's side,
18:24there does not appear to be a happy closure even on the Pandavas' side.
18:38In spite of the great sermon of the Gita,
18:46after the war, you know how destructive the war was.
18:57The kingdom took several years to somehow recover.
19:02And it was not just Hastinapur.
19:05So many other kingdoms had fought and had lost their armies,
19:11their kings, sons of kings, entire lines of descendants.
19:19They were all lost.
19:22And then one day Dhritarashtra and Kunti and Gandhari,
19:27they say we are going to the jungle because we are just restless.
19:32We do not know what to live for.
19:35And these three together go to the jungle.
19:38And they are burnt alive in a forest fire.
19:41That's how they end.
19:46How is that a befitting closure for the mother of five victorious warriors?
19:56That's how Kunti dies.
20:01In a forest fire.
20:04Then once these three are gone,
20:07the Pandavas themselves become very restless.
20:13They find they cannot operate in peace for long.
20:17So they say now that the descendant is ready,
20:32they hand over the kingdom to him.
20:37And they say we are now going towards the hills.
20:43And it's a very poignant story.
20:46They keep climbing the hill and they keep dropping dead one after the other.
20:56The mighty Pandavas who could not be slain by thousands of warriors,
21:04they are just falling like nine pins.
21:11Dropping like dead leaves.
21:19And ultimately who is left?
21:22Yudhishthir and the dog.
21:25Only these two are left.
21:30Even Draupadi falls.
21:33That's how the story comes to an end.
21:41This in spite of the fact that Krishna was by them.
21:52Not only through his teachings but actually in person.
21:56Still.
22:12This is a beautiful quote.
22:17That's how the world ends. Not with a bang but with a whimper.
22:26That's how one of the greatest stories, an epic story comes to an end.
22:42What is left of the entire story? Abhimanyu's son who has been saved by Krishna.
22:49Only he is left from the entire story.
22:52And then from him a new story begins.
22:56Everybody else is gone.
23:03Pretty melancholy trail this.
23:17So there are limits.
23:20And when you see that the teacher has limits,
23:23then actually you should be even more grateful.
23:26That in spite of his limits, he tries and does what he can.
23:34If you start taking Krishna as some kind of omnipotent God,
23:39then there is nothing to learn from him.
23:46You have to look at him as an individual, a person who tried his best.
24:01Sir, with regards to the question on rights of homosexuals and LGBTQ questions,
24:09I was just looking at some data and it shows here that there is a strong correlation
24:17between LGBTQ inclusion and a country's level of economic development.
24:23For example, countries with greater legal rights and social acceptance of LGBTQ people
24:27tend to have higher GDP per capita.
24:30Also, it says that exclusion of LGBTQ people leads to economic inefficiencies,
24:35including lost labor, productivity, etc.
24:39Also, over time, countries that have increased LGBTQ acceptance,
24:44such as Brazil, Canada, UK and US, have seen improvements in economic development.
24:49They did some research and they found some correlations.
24:53So, in summary, it basically says that protecting LGBTQ rights and promoting social inclusion
24:59is not only a matter of human rights, but also has tangible economic benefits
25:04for countries seeking to maximize their human capital, etc.
25:08In general also, I think there is a perception that more liberal, more developed countries have more acceptance.
25:15It's like this. It's not that for the sake of economic prosperity that you must become liberal in thought.
25:21Or have a more tolerant and accommodative attitude towards diverse sexual orientations.
25:33Economic growth, etc. are a fallout.
25:39Even if economic growth were to be compromised,
25:44a liberal attitude must still be promoted.
25:49Now, why do we see the kind of data that you are quoting?
25:53It's simple.
25:55Usually, LGBTQ minorities are small.
26:04I don't have the figures, but I don't suppose any country has more than 5% of the population.
26:175 or 10% representation of these communities in its population.
26:24No, not more than that.
26:26Not even that much?
26:27Not more than that. 3 to 4%.
26:283 to 4%, right?
26:31So, it's not about the economic productivity of these 3-4% people.
26:36It's about the remaining 95 or 97%.
26:40If those 95 or 97% are not having a healthy attitude towards these minorities,
26:50that tells about their priorities in life.
26:59There are 3 people in a country of 100.
27:07One is a lesbian.
27:09One is a gay.
27:12One is a trans.
27:18And if the remaining 97% are all obsessed with just harassing these 3,
27:26what does that tell about those 97% keeping these 3 apart?
27:33That tells that those 97% do not have anything purposeful to do in life.
27:38How would they be economically productive?
27:41It's not about the productivity of these 3.
27:44It's about the productivity of those 97%.
27:4797% people chasing these 3 on basis of their sexual orientation.
27:55These 97% have to be pretty jobless.
28:01Nothing to do in life except catch someone and start looking at his genitals
28:08and whatever.
28:13Leave people to do what they want to do. You focus on your life.
28:18Write, sing, create, run.
28:22If nothing else, eat and sleep.
28:26Why hound others?
28:31And if you are someone who has to look at someone
28:34principally on the basis of his sexual choices,
28:39that means inherently you are very sexual.
28:43And if you are so sexual, what kind of creation would come from you?
28:50Only procreation.
28:55You cannot be creative.
29:00Go back to that God thing.
29:02If I look at even God and ask him,
29:06just convince me that you are not gay.
29:13That basically means that you are just a sexual beast.
29:18And anybody you look at,
29:22you are looking at him from sexual eyes.
29:28This kind of person cannot create good literature,
29:32cannot do good science,
29:35cannot come up with good technology,
29:38cannot be a good athlete. There will be a problem.
29:41Cannot be a good politician, cannot be a good anything.
29:44Cannot be a good parent, a good father, a good mother.
29:48If you are so sexual,
29:54you cannot be good even at sex.
29:58If you are so obsessed with sex,
30:00sex will become a mania for you.
30:09So these are small things and they must be kept small.
30:13Focus on the bigger things in life.
30:19Creation is big.
30:22Exploration is big, inquiry is big, science is big.
30:26Arts, literature,
30:29these are the really big things.
30:31This is what you should give respect to.
30:43There is an entire universe to explore.
30:46And all you are interested is in some cavities of the body.
30:56That's a general observation, yes.
30:59Countries that have very intransigent attitudes towards sexual matters
31:08are usually not economically developed, economically or socially.
31:16On any parameter or index of human development,
31:21these countries don't rank among the top.
31:26So how well developed a country is, yes,
31:29that can be kind of approximated
31:32through its attitude towards sexual matters.
31:35Through its attitude towards sexual minorities.