Restraint of the senses
Celibacy
Mahavira explained it to Anand:
"...there are people who have no control over lust, and consider sexual pleasures as the be-all and end-all of life.
But I have realized the truth to be contrary to this.
The sex instinct makes it obscure."
According to me, the summum bonum of life is the ever-throbbing innate bliss in the depths of consciousness.
The fourth vow of the mahavrats (great vows)
"Brahmcharya is the worship of self-knowledge. It is an inexhaustible source of power. It is a kind of special discipline.
One who practises brahmcharya is able to preserve both his physical and mental energy and becomes luminous. He does not allow his urges to grow licentious.
Contrary to this, the lack of brahmcharya makes for uninhibited lust and creates difficulties in the path of inner observation.
From the point of view of self-realization and preservation of energy, the practice of brahmcharya makes an important contribution towards the creation of the right background for dhyana."
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