What does Buddhism have to say about human sexuality?

As human sexuality is such a strong and potentially disruptive force in human relations, the Buddha taught that it needs to be governed wisely. Lay Buddhists undertake a moral precept requiring them to refrain from all illicit forms of sexuality; the precept emphasizes adultery, but includes rape and sexual harassment. Buddhists are encouraged to take care of their senses and not indulge in sights, sounds, odors, tastes and toughing that over-stimulate sexual desire. The desire for sexual pleasure can, when indulged in blindly, lead to much suffering, and in some cases may result in betrayals of trust, destruction of families, financial ruin or acts of violence. Wise people see sexual pleasure as highly addictive and cherish their freedom enough to prevent sex monopolizing their life, and unwisely influencing the choices they make.

Sexual desire is not seen as bad as such. It is, however, seen as being conditioned by ignorance of the way things truly are. For this reason meditators are encouraged to investigate its nature. In one of his analyses of sexual craving, the Buddha explains how the extent to which a woman is obsessed with her own femininity conditions the degree of her attraction to the masculine; the degree that a man is obsessed with his own masculinity conditions the degree of this attraction to the feminine.

Buddhist teachings do not view same-sex relationships conducted between consenting adults as inherently evil. The Buddha’s wise reflections on sexual desire are equally true and applicable whatever gender the object of desire might be.

Sexual desire diminishes with significant progress on the Eightfold Path, as the practitioner begins to experience more fulfilling sources of pleasure and relaxation. Universal feelings of loving-kindness and compassion supersede the desire for personal intimacy. The former strong draw towards sexual activity may now be seen as, in part, a displacement activity, fueled by a failure to recognize as such the deep-seated desire for inner liberation. The fully enlightened ‘arahant’ experiences no sexual desire at all, and yet lives with a supreme and unshakeable sense of well-being.