Peoples Addictions To Sexual Pleasures - Alan Watts

Summary

The speaker discusses Western society's complex and unique relationship with sexuality, particularly within Christian traditions. He argues that Christianity is preoccupied with regulating sexual behavior more than any other religion, linking sin and immorality predominantly to sexual irregularity. The speaker explores how repression of sex has heightened its taboo and allure, while contrasting Western religious views with other spiritual traditions that also advocate detachment from bodily pleasure. He emphasizes that the transient nature of life and physical pleasure, while fleeting, is central to the vitality of existence.

Takeaways

• 📿 Christianity is uniquely preoccupied with sex compared to other religions, more than tantric yoga or fertility cults.
• ❌ The term 'living in sin' almost exclusively refers to sexual irregularities, rather than general unethical behavior.
• ⛪ Churches are often seen as sexual regulation societies, where sexual transgressions lead to exclusion more frequently than other moral failings.
• 📘 In Christian moral theology, sexual sins occupy a significant portion of discourse, especially compared to other commandments.
• ❓ Sexual pleasure, especially its religious repression, has been historically treated with fear, not just in Christianity but also in other major religions like Hinduism.
• 🧘 Detachment from the body and physical pleasures is a key teaching in many spiritual traditions, such as yoga, to avoid the transient nature of material life.
• 🎭 Sex and the body are seen as unavoidable parts of life, and repressing sexuality can paradoxically lead to an obsession with it.
• ⏳ The transient, decaying nature of physical beauty and pleasure is often lamented, which leads to spiritual detachment from the physical world.
• 🎻 Timing is essential in life’s pleasures, including sexuality, where the right moment defines the experience, much like playing in time during music.
• 🌀 Vitality and change are intertwined with life and death; life is dynamic, always decaying and transforming, which adds to its richness.

Q & A

Why is the speaker suggesting that Western man is 'hung up on sex'?

The speaker believes that Western culture, particularly influenced by Christianity, has placed an unusual emphasis on sex, often making it a taboo subject and associating it with sin.

What religions does the speaker highlight as influencing Western attitudes toward sexuality?

The speaker highlights Christianity as the primary influence, with Judaism being influenced in a secondary way due to its interaction with Christianity in Europe and the United States.

What does the speaker mean by 'living in sin' in the context of Western religious beliefs?

In popular speech influenced by Christian values, 'living in sin' typically refers to people who are in irregular sexual relationships, not necessarily involving other forms of immoral behavior such as fraud or theft.

How does the speaker describe the role of churches in the West regarding sexual regulation?

The speaker describes most Western churches as being primarily concerned with regulating sexual behavior, often more than other moral issues, with deviations in sexual conduct being one of the few reasons someone could be expelled from a church.

Why does the speaker say that sexuality is problematic in many religious traditions?

Sexuality is seen as problematic because it connects people to their physical bodies and materiality, which many spiritual traditions view as a distraction from higher spiritual goals. It's also something deeply ingrained in life and cannot be entirely avoided.

What two perspectives on human sexuality does the speaker present?

The speaker presents two views: one sees sexuality as a repressed form of spirituality, while the other sees it as a manifestation or expression of spirituality. The speaker supports the latter view.

How does sexual repression in Christian tradition affect Western society's view of sex, according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests that sexual repression has made sex more prurient and intriguing by associating it with dirt and taboo, thus heightening its allure in a kind of perverse way.

Why does the speaker think that detachment from the body and physical world is emphasized in many spiritual traditions?

The emphasis on detachment is rooted in the belief that physical beauty and pleasures are transient and impermanent. By detaching from the body, one avoids suffering from the inevitable decay and loss that comes with attachment to the physical world.

How does the speaker critique the traditional religious notion of detachment from the physical world?

The speaker criticizes the idea of detachment by questioning why a physical universe would exist at all if it were simply a snare or mistake. They suggest that the impermanence and transience of the physical world is what gives it vitality and beauty.

What does the speaker believe is the true essence of life and vitality?

The speaker believes that life and vitality are tied to change and impermanence, and that the transitory nature of the physical world is what makes it dynamic and vibrant. Trying to preserve youth or beauty forever would lead to a plastic, lifeless existence.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Western Preoccupation with Sex

The paragraph discusses the unique preoccupation Western society, particularly influenced by Christianity and Judaism, has with sex. It highlights that sex is considered a major sin and is often the only reason for excommunication from religious communities. The speaker points out that Christianity is the most sex-obsessed religion, focusing on sexual morality more than other religions or belief systems. The paragraph also notes the historical context of religious teachings on sex, emphasizing that while modern interpretations may be more lenient, traditional views see sex as inherently sinful and something to be avoided.

05:02

🌱 Spirituality and Sexuality

This paragraph explores the connection between spirituality and sexuality, suggesting that in many religious traditions, including Christianity and some Eastern religions, there is a belief that true spirituality requires the renunciation of sexual desires. The speaker argues that sexuality is an inescapable part of human existence, linked to our physicality and our creation through sexual reproduction. The paragraph discusses two perspectives on sexuality: one that views it as repressed spirituality and another that sees it as an expression of the divine. The speaker aligns with the latter view, suggesting that sexuality is a form of divine expression.

10:03

🚫 The Taboo of Sex and Its Allure

The paragraph examines the paradoxical nature of sexual taboos in Western culture. It suggests that the repression of sex has led to a peculiar form of eroticism, where the very act of repressing sexual thoughts and desires makes them more alluring. The speaker points out that this repression is not entirely negative, as it can heighten sexual interest. However, the paragraph also acknowledges the more profound issue of why pleasure, particularly sexual pleasure, is seen as problematic. It raises the question of why the transient and impermanent nature of the physical world, including the body, should be a cause for detachment from physical pleasures.

15:04

🧘 Detachment and the Physical World

The paragraph delves into the concept of detachment from the physical world as a spiritual practice. It contrasts the idea of identifying with an eternal, unchanging spiritual self versus being attached to the impermanent physical body. The speaker critiques the notion of detachment, questioning why a physical universe exists if it is merely a snare. It discusses the analogy of the body as an animal that the rational soul must control, whether through subjugation or indulgence. The paragraph also touches on the idea that the transience of the physical world is what gives it its splendor and vitality, suggesting that the impermanence of life is what makes it valuable.

20:05

🎭 The Transience of Life and Sexuality

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of timing in life, particularly in the context of sexuality and other physical pleasures. It uses the metaphor of an orchestra to illustrate the idea that there are precise moments when vitality is at its peak, and these moments should be seized. The speaker argues against the desire for physical permanence, suggesting that the very transience of the physical world is what makes it vibrant and alive. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the importance of being present and engaged in the moment, rather than seeking to escape the impermanence of life.

Keywords

💡Sexuality

Sexuality refers to the way in which individuals experience and express themselves sexually. In the video, sexuality is highlighted as a central preoccupation in Western religions, particularly Christianity, which views it as something that must be regulated and often repressed. The speaker discusses how sexuality is integral to human life and cannot be separated from one's identity, challenging the religious narrative that often frames it as something dirty or sinful.

💡Religious Background

The religious background mentioned in the video pertains to the historical and cultural context of Western religions, especially Christianity and Judaism, which have shaped societal views on sex. These religions have often portrayed sexual pleasure as something to be feared or controlled, leading to a complex relationship with sexuality in Western societies. The video explores how this background has influenced attitudes towards sex and the development of sexual regulation societies.

💡Sin

In the context of the video, 'sin' is used to describe actions or behaviors that are considered morally wrong, especially from a religious standpoint. The speaker notes that in popular speech, living 'in sin' typically refers to having an irregular sexual partnership, indicating the unique way in which Western religions have singled out sexual misconduct as the epitome of sinfulness.

💡Immorality

Immorality, as discussed in the video, is closely tied to the concept of 'sin' and is often used to describe actions that are deemed sexually irregular. The speaker reflects on how the term has been historically used to describe sexual transgressions, emphasizing the cultural focus on sexual behavior as a moral litmus test.

💡Sexual Regulation Societies

Sexual regulation societies are organizations, typically religious institutions, that focus on controlling and regulating sexual behavior among their members. The video suggests that many churches function as such societies, emphasizing sexual morality over other moral issues and often expelling members for sexual misconduct while tolerating other forms of immorality.

💡Pleasure

Pleasure, particularly sexual pleasure, is a central theme in the video. The speaker explores why sexual pleasure is often singled out as a supreme pleasure and why religious traditions might view it with suspicion. It is suggested that sexual pleasure is problematic because it is a fundamental aspect of physical existence and is therefore a potential obstacle to spiritual pursuits.

💡Materiality

Materiality refers to the physical or tangible aspects of reality. In the video, sexuality is linked to materiality because it is through sexual experiences that humans engage most directly with the physical world. The speaker suggests that the religious fear of sexuality may be rooted in a broader suspicion of material life and the body.

💡Spirituality

Spirituality in the video is contrasted with materiality and sexuality. It represents the pursuit of higher, non-physical values and experiences. The speaker discusses how many religious traditions advocate for the suppression of sexuality as a means to attain greater spiritual heights, reflecting a view that physical pleasure is at odds with spiritual development.

💡Impermanence

Impermanence is the concept that all things in the physical world are temporary and subject to change. The video uses the idea of impermanence to critique the detachment from the physical world advocated by some spiritual practices. The speaker argues that the transience of the physical world, including the body, is not something to be lamented but is instead a source of vitality and life.

💡Vitality

Vitality, as discussed in the video, refers to the energy and liveliness of living things. The speaker suggests that the transience of the physical world is what gives it its vitality. Sexual experiences, being a part of this physical world, are moments of high vitality that should be celebrated rather than repressed, reflecting the idea that life and death, change and decay, are all part of what makes existence vibrant and meaningful.

💡Repression

Repression in the video is used to describe the act of suppressing sexual desires and behaviors. It is portrayed as a common strategy in Western religious traditions to control sexuality and is critiqued for creating a perverse fascination with sex. The speaker argues that repression does not eliminate sexuality but rather transforms it into a taboo that is simultaneously feared and fixated upon.

Highlights

Western man is uniquely preoccupied with sex, largely due to the influence of Christianity and Judaism.

In Christianity, sex is emphasized more than in other religions, including Tantric yoga and fertility cults.

The concept of 'living in sin' refers almost exclusively to irregular sexual partnerships.

Most churches function as 'sexual regulation societies,' focusing on sexual morality more than other moral issues.

Religious figures can live in envy and malice without consequence, but sexual irregularities often lead to expulsion.

Christian manuals of moral theology devote the majority of their content to sins related to sex.

Sexuality is problematic because it is both a supreme pleasure and deeply connected to materiality and attachment to the body.

The repression of sexuality in religious traditions paradoxically makes it more prurient and exciting.

Detachment from the body and physical world is a common teaching in various religious traditions, from Christianity to Hinduism.

Identifying too strongly with the body leads to attachment to the transient, impermanent nature of physical life.

Many religions view the physical universe as a temporary, flawed state of existence, to be transcended.

The idea of life being short and transient leads to a focus on spiritual values rather than physical pleasures.

There is tension between the impermanence of physical beauty and the desire to hold onto it.

The speaker suggests that the transient nature of the physical world is part of its splendor, not something to lament.

Vitality comes from change, decay, and the inevitable falling apart of physical life, which is contrasted with artificial attempts to achieve permanence.

Transcripts

i don't think i need to tell you that in

a very special and peculiar way

western man is hung up on sex

[Music]

and the major reason for this

is that he has a religious background

[Music]

quite unique among the religions of the

world

i'm thinking specifically of

christianity and in the secondary way

judaism in so far as judaism

in europe and the united states is

strongly influenced by christianity

but christianity is of all religions in

the world

the one uniquely preoccupied with sex

more so than prioritism more so than

tantric yoga

more so than any kind of fertility cult

which has ever existed on the face of

the earth

there has never never never been a

religion in which sexuality was so

important

and these are a certain very simple

standards by which this can be judged

in popular speech when you say of a

given person that he or she is living in

sin

[Music]

you know very well that there you do not

mean

that they are engaged in a business to

defraud the public

by the sale of uh badly made bread

or uh anything of that kind you know

that they're not

uh setting up a check forgery business

no

people who are living in sin are

people who have an irregular sexual

partnership

[Music]

in the same way when you say something

is immoral

uh it pretty much means that it's

something sexually

irregular i remember when i was a boy in

school

we used to have a preacher he came to us

every year the same man

once a year and he always talked on the

subject of drink

gambling and immorality

i remember the way he rolled it around

his tongue and it was very clear what

immorality was

[Music]

and also i might point out

that the present company accepted the

unitarian church being somewhat unusual

most churches in america and in england

and in other parts of uh the western

world

are frankly sexual regulation societies

they occasionally get excited about

other moral issues

but really not very much in other words

when you ask

what can people get kicked out of church

for

let's suppose you consider important

ministers bishops priests

and so on they can

live in envy hatred malice and all

uncharitableness

and be in perfectly good standing

but the moment anything about their

sexual life becomes a little unusual

out you go and that's about the only

thing you can go

out for you study for example a roman

catholic manual of moral theology

these manuals of moral theology are

technical books

about sins of all kinds just exactly

what they are

how they are done how grave they are

for mostly for the advice of confessors

and they're always arranged according to

the ten commandments

and uh when they get to the commandment

thou shalt not commit adultery

the volume expands like this in fact it

occupies

two thirds of the whole book all the

details

so we have in a very special way got sex

on the brain which isn't exactly the

right place for it

[Applause]

[Music]

now this needs going into because it is

not as simple as it looks

[Music]

there are really two roots of the whole

problem

[Music]

one of them is the problem of why

[Music]

sexual pleasure of all pleasures

as a kind of really supreme pleasure

is singled out

for religious people to be particularly

afraid of

this is not only true in christianity i

say christianity emphasizes it in a

certain way

but in uh asian religions also

especially in india there is a

prevailing view that if you

want to attain real heights of

spirituality

the one thing you must give up is

sexuality

in the ordinary sense of uh

genital sexual relationships with

man or woman as the case may be

and this reflects in part you see an

attitude to the physical world because

it is after all through sexuality

that we have along with eating our most

fundamental relationship to materiality

to nature to the physical universe

and it is the point at which we can

become most

attached to the body

to the physical organism to material

life

that's one reason why it's problematic

the other reason why it's problematic is

more subtle

and that is that sexuality is something

which you cannot get rid of

[Music]

do what you may life

is sexual in the sense for example that

you are either male or female

there are various other gradations uh

but basically they are forms of maleness

and femaleness

and also that every one of you is the

result of sexual intercourse

and this feature of life can be looked

at in one of two ways you can say on the

one hand

that all man's higher

ideals his spirituality and so forth is

simply repressed sexuality

or on the other hand you can say that

human sexuality

is a manifestation a particular form or

expression

of what is spiritual metaphysical divine

or whatever you want to call it

i hold to the latter view i don't think

that religion

is repressed sexuality i think however

that sexuality is just one of the many

forms

in which uh whatever all this is

expresses itself

but you see if this thing is something

you cannot

get rid of

and if you realize that indeed

a way of life in which sexuality is in

some way put down

or repressed is nonetheless an

expression

of sexuality then we come to a view

of a religion in which sex is a very

special taboo

which is rather unusual it's normally

said you see

yes the christianity is a religion in

which sex is taboo

and this is simply no getting around it

[Music]

i know up to date ministers today i

think sex is all right it's perfectly

okay if you're married and you've got a

mature relationship with a woman

uh it's all right and they kind of damn

it with faint praise

but if you read anything of christian

writings prior

shall we say to 1850 to set a date

rather arbitrarily

you will find that it's not all right

not at all

it's tolerated between married couples

and strictly for the procreation of

children

but on the whole to do without it is

[Music]

best

if paul put it it's better to marry than

to burn

to burn with the fire of lust and

ultimately to burn in hell

but always consistently there is simply

no getting away from it

in all the writings of the church

fathers

from saint paul himself

right through to

saint ignatius loyola or any of the

great relatively modern

uh leaders of catholic spirituality

or you can look at calvin you can look

at

great protestants john knox on the whole

the sex is sin and sex is

dirt

and you can say very simply

that this is all bad and something very

wrong but i want to point out that there

is another side to all this

there is no way of making a hedge grow

like pruning it

there is no way of making sex

interesting

like repressing it and as a result

of all these centuries of sexual

repression

and associating it with dirt the west

has developed

a peculiar form of eroticism

but that is a an aspect of this whole

problem which i don't think is really

very profitable to explore

i just want to mention it in passing

that the whole attitude

of anti-sexuality

in the christian tradition is not as

anti as it looks

it is simply a method

of making sex

[Music]

prurient and in exciting in a kind of

dirty way

and i suppose is to be recommended for

people who are not feeling very frisky

and uh need to be pepped up

the other side of the problem is much

more interesting

that is to say uh the first thing i

mentioned why it is

that there has been a problem for human

beings

about pleasure and we will take

sexual activity as a supreme pleasure

as a supreme involvement of oneself

with the body and with the physical

world

why should there be a problem here

well the point is simply isn't it

[Music]

that the physical world is transient

it's impermanent it falls apart

and bodies that were once

strong smooth and lovely in youth

begin to wither and become corrupt

and turn at last into skeletons

and if you cling on to one of those and

it suddenly turns into a skeleton in

your hand

as it will if you speed up your sense of

time a little

you feel cheated and there has been for

centuries a lament

about this that life is so short

that all the beauties of this world fall

apart

[Music]

and therefore if you are wise you don't

set your heart

on mortal beauty but you set on heart

your heart on spiritual values that are

imperishable

even that supposed tippler and rake

omar khayyam says that the worldly hope

men set their hearts upon turns ashes or

it prospers

and a non-like snow upon the desert's

dusty face

lighting a little hour or two is gone

and so don't bet on that horse

and read any kind of spiritual

literature you want to

christian buddhist hindu taoist

all of them seem to emphasize the

importance of detachment

from the body from the physical world

so that you won't be engulfed

in the stream of impermanence the idea

being you see

that to the degree that you identify

yourself with the body

and with the pleasures of the body

to that degree you are simply going to

be something that is sucked away

in the course of transiency

so therefore hold yourself aloof

[Music]

as in for example the advice of many

hindus

in the practice of yoga you are advised

to look upon all sensory experiences

as something out there which you simply

witness

[Music]

you yourself identify yourself

with the eternal spiritual unchanging

self the witness of all that goes on

but who is no more involved in it than

say

the smoothness or the color

of a mirror is affected by the things

which it reflects

keep your mind like a mirror pure

and clean free from dust free from flaws

free from stain and just reflect

everything that goes on

but don't be attached you will find this

all over the place

but it has always seemed to me

that that attitude of essential

detachment from the physical universe

has underlying it a very serious problem

the problem being why a physical

universe at all in that case

if god has

uh in is in some way responsible for the

existence of a creation

and if this creation is basically a

snare

why did he do it

and of course according to some

theologies

the physical universe is looked upon as

a mistake

as they fall from the divine state

as if something went wrong in the

heavenly domain

and causing spirits such as we are

to fall from their highest state and to

become involved with animal bodies

and so there is an ancient analogy of

man which

runs right through to the present time

that your relationship to your body is

that of a rider to a horse

[Music]

saint francis called his body brother

ass

that you are irrational soul

in charge of an animal body

and therefore where if you belong to the

old-fashioned school you beat it into

submission

as said paul said i beat my body

into submission or if you are a freudian

you treat your horse not with a whip but

with lumps of sugar

kindly but still it's your horse

even in freud there is a very very

strong

element of puritanism

read philip reef's book

and how he shows that freud basically

thought that sex was

degrading

but nevertheless something biologically

unavoidable something terribly necessary

which couldn't just be swept aside

it had to be dealt with but there is you

see that heritage

of thinking of ourselves as divided

the ego as the rational soul of

spiritual origin

and the physical body as the animal

component

[Music]

and therefore all success

in life spiritual success requires the

spiritualization of the animal component

the sublimation of its dirty and

the strange urges so that it's

thoroughly cleaned up i suppose

the ideal sexual relationship of such

persons

would be held on an operating table

under disinfectant sprays

[Music]

now it is of course true

that the physical world its beauty

and so on is transient

we are all falling apart

in some way or another especially after

you

pass the peak of youth

but it's never struck me that that is

something to gripe about

that the physical world is transient

seems to me to be part of its splendor

i can imagine nothing more awful than

say attaining to the age

of 30 and suddenly being frozen

in that age for always and always

you would become a kind of we would all

be a sort of

animated wax works

[Music]

and you would discover as a matter of

fact

that people who had

that physical permanence would feel like

plastic

and that is as a matter of fact what is

going to be done about us

by technology in order to attain

perpetual use

all the parts of us that decay and and

fold up

are going to be replaced by very

skillfully manufactured plastic parts

so that in the end we will be entirely

made of very very sophisticated plastic

and everybody will feel like that

and everybody will be utterly bored with

each other

because the very fact you see that the

world

is always decaying and always

falling away is the same thing as its

vitality

vitality is change life is death

[Music]

it is always falling apart

and so there are certain supreme moments

you see

at which in the body we attain

superb vitality

and that's the time make it then

that's the moment just like when an

orchestra is playing the conductor

wants to get a certain uh group of say

violins

to come in at a certain moment and he's

conducting and he's gotta

now make it and they all have to do it

right now see

of course that's the whole art of like

to do it at the right time to do it in

time like you dance or you play in time

and so in the same way when it comes to

love

sexuality or equally so

in all the pleasures of gastronomy

timing is of the essence

[Music]

and then it's happened and you've had it

[Music]

you