SydneyJimAs a #BuddhistMonk, many people ask me about #homosexuality, being #transgender, #sex, marriage, or relationships, as though these are central religious questions. They are not. #Buddhist practice is concerned with suffering, its causes, & the way suffering may cease. It is about understanding #impermanence, attachment, #craving, anger, & delusion. #Gender identity & sexual preference do not alter this path. (1/5)
A person may be #gay, #straight, #bisexual, #transgender, celibate, married, single, or in any form of relationship. None of these conditions prevents #meditation, ethical living, #compassion, or #insight. None grants special advantage either. The teachings do not measure a person by whom they love, how they dress, or what #body they inhabit. (2/5)
What matters in #Buddhist practice is conduct. Are your actions causing harm? Are they rooted in #greed, hatred, or ignorance? Are they leading to #peace, clarity, & #kindness? These are the questions that matter. Whether someone is male, female, both, neither, or fluid has no bearing on #awakening. (3/5)
Too often people project cultural prejudice onto #Buddhism & imagine it to be doctrine. Much of what is claimed about sexuality comes from #social customs of particular countries, not from the heart of #Buddhist teaching. The path asks us to let go of clinging to labels & fixed identities, not to become trapped in them. (4/5)
Your #gender is not an obstacle. Your #sexuality is not an obstacle. Your relationships are not an obstacle. Attachment, aversion, & ignorance are the obstacles. Practice is open to all beings #equally. (5/5)