The Role of Sex in Consciousness | Eckhart Tolle

what is the role of sex in consciousness how should it be approached as a way to be more awake our lust and Casual Sex a detriment to consciousness are they always detrimental well let's let's see if I can remember [Music] no sex of course it's a wonderful thing but you could we could call it an addiction that nature has built into the human and so that they continue to survive as a species because if that addiction were not built in that causes pleasure if that were not built into the human body who would engage in

that absurd Act [Laughter] it does have it because it's such a pull it does have a tendency of making humans unconscious you may have observed it in yourself when it takes over it's a very strong pull and you go or you may go into your mind so it's either out there or you go and of course the it's it pulls you towards where it wants to go which is the final orgasm it wants that's where it wants you to go uh Tantra is an ancient Indian way of engaging in sexuality without losing Consciousness but growing

in Consciousness through it bringing Consciousness into something that usually would make you unconscious and the simple thing is to OBS to become the Observer at any stage so that you for let's say the sexual impulse arises for whatever reason you see something or think of something or someone rather to to bring awareness to it without needing it needing to take it anywhere to bring awareness to it and just feel it and sense it and be the awareness for it and if you're with another person uh not necessarily engage in the full Act of sexuality but

even if it's just a touching to be aware with that bring awareness to that to the sense perceptions so that awareness arises even in the even as the impulse is there you you meet it with awareness and that's a beautiful spiritual practice and then you don't you don't always need to take it to the end it can actually enjoy it more than when it takes you over it makes you unconscious I called it an addiction it's it really becomes a true addiction when it takes over your mind and then your compulsively seek sexual partners in

in which case it really pulls you towards more and more unconsciousness and becomes it's it's one of the ways in which the Mind seeks fulfillment and never finds it and that's where the song implies I Can't Get No Satisfaction [Music] and then you need the next fix it can become a true Addiction in the conventional sense like a drug that can become that if you if there's a sexual impulse let's say you look at a man or a woman and you there's a small slight sexual impulse just you can just beep in that and that's

the beginning of Tantra don't need to go anywhere I don't need to go up to that person and say whatever your pickup line is but just be allowed to watch the the beauty of it the the male form the female form be aware and at any stage you bring awareness to it this applies to anything that tends to make you unconscious any strong urge if you break like let's say overeating if that is your urge if you can bring awareness to the to the the impulse of wanting to eat before acting on it that is

Tantra too anything that usually pulls you to unconsciousness when you bring awareness into it you actually use it in your growth of awareness the very thing that before made you unconscious can then be used and make you more conscious so if you if your impulse is to overeat and in middle of the night you find yourself you without you you knowing it you got up and you your hand is on the refrigerator door and in that moment you wake up I mean truly wake up and feel the urge to open the door and take out

the chocolate cake then you can observe the impulse inside you and you can sit down for a couple of minutes and feel this this urge to indulge in this the need to take something in and feel it fully and you may find sometimes it's it subsides as you bring awareness to it it begins to subside if it doesn't subside maybe you still have to eat the chocolate cake but at least there was some awareness that if you bring awareness into the eating ah because it's only you really overeat when you lose awareness if you eat

consciously we have to lean here who wrote a book about it uh she could talk to you much better explain it much better than I can so bring awareness to the act of eating then I believe I've never actually had the problem of overeating I've had other addictions but not all that wasn't one if you bring awareness to it you eat I would say would quickly subside if you eat consciously so anything that would that pulls you usually towards unconsciousness you use it as awareness practice there could be any other addiction too drug some whatever

drug substance you use see feel the the need inside you feel it arise watch it observe it allow it to be there so that it doesn't take you over it's only when you're unaware that these things can completely take you over so you're not fighting it as such awareness never fights it awareness is really the space in which it arises because you're not you're not fighting against it you're not pushing it down don't do that with sex because they've tried that for hundreds of years Aesthetics religious practices pushing it down it didn't it makes it

far worse because then it seeks channels that are actually quite destructive you because sexuality is such an enormous urge you can't put it down in rather than pushing it down it would be preferable to have different sexual partner every night it's probably preferable to pushing it to putting it down so that's not the answer but to to meet it in Awareness that's where whatever would usually be an an addictive art and makes you unconscious meet it in the space of awareness within it it comes in there and it goes and maybe another wave comes and

in that spaciousness that you are it comes in and jobs it's like a like a dark cloud it comes into this into the space of the blue expands and then it goes and then another one comes so whatever whatever the impulse is awareness is the answer not fighting against it and if and of course the cutting the link also between in sexuality especially the link between thinking and and the sexual Arts otherwise you you can keep your bike at night