ONE FAMILY PLAN
Desire
“The mere thought of sin is sin…â€? (Hinduism, Tirukkural 282)Â
“Through the abandonment of desire the Deathless is realized.” (Buddhism, Samyutta Nikaya xlvii.37)
“Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires.” (Taoism, Tao Te Ching 19)
“Realizing that pleasure and pain are personal affairs, one should subjugate his mind and senses.” (Jainism, Acarangasutra 2.78)
“Beloved, I beseech you... to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul.” (Christianity, 1 Peter 2.11)
“That man is disciplined and happy who can prevail over the turmoil that springs from desire and anger, here on earth, before he leaves his body.” (Hinduism, Bhagavad Gita 5.23)
“Whoever quenches the fire of desire through the holy Word, spontaneously is his illusion of duality banished. Such is he in whose heart the Name dwells, by the Master's guidance.” (Sikhism, Adi Granth, Gauri Ashtpadi, M.1, p. 222)
“We live in accordance with our deep, driving desire. It is this desire at the time of death that determines what our next life is to be. We will come back to earth to work out the satisfaction of that desire. But not for those who are free from desire; they are free because all their desires have found fulfillment in the Self. They do not die like the others; but realizing Brahman, they merge in Brahman…” (Hinduism, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6-7)
“Wipe out the delusions of the will, undo the snares of the heart, rid yourself of the entanglements to virtue; open up the roadblocks in the Way. Eminence and wealth, recognition and authority, fame and profit--these six are the delusions of the will. Appearances and carriage, complexion and features, temperament and attitude--these six are the snares of
the heart. Loathing and desire, joy and anger, grief and happiness—these six are the entanglements of virtue. Rejecting and accepting, taking and giving, knowledge and ability--these six are the roadblocks of the Way. When these four sixes no longer seethe within the breast, then you will achieve uprightness; being upright, you will be still; being still, you
will be enlightened; being enlightened, you will be empty; and being empty, you will do nothing, and yet there will be nothing that is not done.” (Taoism, Chuang Tzu 23)
SEX
“The greatest problem of any man is woman.” [African Traditional Religions, Igala Proverb (Nigeria)]
“Confucius said, ‘I have never seen anyone whose desire to build up his moral power was as strong as sexual desire.’” (Confucianism, Analects 9.17 and 15.12)
“The Buddha said, ‘Of all longings and desires, there is none stronger than sex. Sex as a desire has no equal. Rely on the Oneness. No one under heaven is able to become a follower of the Way if he accepts dualism [the attraction of opposites].’” (Buddhism, Sutra of Forty-two Sections 25)
“He who delights in subduing evil thoughts, who meditates on the loathsomeness of the body, who is ever mindful--it is he who will make an end of craving. He will sever Mara's bond.” (Buddhism, Dhammapada 350)
“The mouth is a vessel filled with foul saliva and filth between the teeth, the nose with fluids, snot, and mucus, the eyes with their own filth and tears. The body is a vessel filled with excrement, urine, lungs, and liver; he whose vision is obscured and does not see a woman thus, lusts for her body. This filthy city of a body, with protruding holes for the elements is called by stupid beings an object of pleasure. Why should you lust desirously for this while recognizing it as a filthy form produced by a seed whose essence is filth, a mixture of blood and semen? He who lies on the filthy mass covered by skin moistened with those fluids, merely lies on top of a woman's bladder.” (Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 149-57)
“Continence is to regard the wife of another as one's own sister or daughter, and to realize that the bodies of women are full of impurity and that charm can only delude the mind.” (Jainism, Kartikeya, Anupreksa 337-39)
“Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, all in purity.” (Christianity, 1 Timothy 5.1-2)
“The Buddha said, ‘Be careful not to look at women and do not talk with them. If you must speak with them, be properly mindful and think, “I am a shramana living in a turbid world. I should be like the lotus flower and not be defiled by the mud.” Regard old women the way you regard your mother. Regard those who are older than you the way you regard your elder sisters; regard those who are younger than you as your younger sisters, and regard children as your own. Bring forth thoughts to rescue them, and put an end to bad thoughts.’” (Buddhism, Sutra of Forty-two Sections 29)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Christianity, Matthew 5.27-28)
“He who excites himself by lustful thoughts will not be allowed to enter the division of the Holy One.” (Judaism, Talmud, Nidda 13b)
“The adultery of the eye is the lustful look, and the adultery of the tongue is the licentious speech, and the heart desires and yearns, which the parts may or may not put into effect.” (Islam, Hadith of Muslim)
“It is true that you commit no actual crimes; but when you meet a beautiful woman in another's home and cannot banish her from your thoughts, you have committed adultery with her in your heart…” (Taoism, Treatise on Response and Retribution, Appended Tales)
“Confucius said, ‘If out of the three hundred Songs I had to take one phrase to cover all my teachings, I would say, “Let there be no evil in your thoughts.”’” (Confucianism, Analects 2.2)
“The mere thought of sin is sin…” (Hinduism, Tirukkural 282)
