Tag Archive for: spirituality

In researching this yama I looked at readings from several books and wrote down the following quotes which spoke to me:

  • A person who is a Brahmacharya lives in Brahmin (god) and sees Brahmin in everyone.
  • Continence is chastity* in word, thought, and deed…Sex is inseparable from attachment, and attachment is an obstacle to spiritual knowledge – Patanjali
    (*chastity is defined as celibacy or virtuous character)
  • Brahmacharya suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths… it means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth. – Desikachar
  • Brahmacharya is not abandonment of sex but transcendence of it. – Baba Hari Dass

 My understanding or synthesis of these definitions raised the following questions:

  • How much energy do I put into non-virtuous words, thoughts or deeds particularly in relation to other people and sex/relationships?
  • How does the way I speak about people, to people or even think about them affect them, and the way I interact with them?
  • Am I pursuing relationships that help move me towards my highest self, or am I too focused on ego-based relationships that seem to meet my baser needs?