A very lucid, factual description on the interplay of energies, affecting human nature by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It harmonizes the various aspects of sexuality and helps in understanding the mechanics. The explanations help in clearing the subject clouded under misgivings and misrepresentations.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Homosexuality is no longer a taboo in many parts of the world. In the past it was, and people have been executed because of their sexual preferences. People didn’t understand that each one of us is made of both mother and father and have qualities of both of them in us. Of the feminine and masculine energies that you are made up of, sometimes one dominates, and other times, the other and that’s how these changes happen in people. When you are a boy and the mother of feminine element in you is dominant, you have different tendencies than when the father of masculine element in you is enhanced, irrespective of your gender you have tendencies - male and female.
Someone thinks they are heterosexual and after fifty years or so, they suddenly discover that they have an attraction towards the same sex. I have even seen this in people who are married and have children. They never thought homosexual tendencies would come up in them, they are so shaken, afraid and perturbed. They are simply not able to comprehend these learnings. Many start feeling guilt and anger because they never thought that they could harbour these tendencies. The opposite is also true. They are gay from the very beginning, but you never know, sometimes preferences change, so it is better not to label oneself for a lifetime and feel anxious about it. Even if you label yourself, do it happily. But don’t label someone else and accuse them because it is just a play or display of energies inside of you.
I want you to rise above the identification with the body because you are genderless. Your body has a gender, but your consciousness has got no gender. I would recommend that you just understand your human life. You have a gross body, subtle body, and casual body. The gross and subtle body have gender, but not the causal body. Love is the nature of consciousness. That is why sometimes irrespective of the body’s gender, the consciousness gets attracted in the opposite direction. So it is wrong to blame oneself and others.
What you need to do is realize that you are scintillating light. You are not just flesh, bones and blood. You are light. When you get this, you will be free from whatever emotional turbulences you have. Serenity dawns in you and you have a better understanding of yourself.
There are so many people who discover their sexuality and get so upset or assertive that they start hating the entire society. We should get over these extreme reactive tendencies in the mind and realize that we are not just the body but scintillating, sparkling joy and consciousness.
People now understand that homosexuality is not a disease. Today people see that it is just a tendency. It is just the energy that plays that role. Sometimes, the male energy is dominant though you are a female and sometimes, the female energy is dominant though you are a male. All this is possible.
You must know that you are the spirit and love transcends gender; love is beyond gender. Attraction is only reflection of love. It is a shadow of love and love is divine. Such feelings and emotions come, they stay, they vary and they go. Don’t give too much importance to all of them. Neither should you encourage, nor be paranoid or scared of them. All these tendencies come and go. They all change but you must hold in steadfast to the spirit. Spirit is all love, it's all joy, and it is only one. When you know this, then you transcend all the complexities of the mind and emotions and move on to that unity. It’s only that unity with the spirit, unity with that consciousness and with the divinity that can help you not feel lonely. Otherwise, in spite of having partners, relationship and everything else too, loneliness can continue to bother you. Only the experience of uniting with the spirit can take away the feeling of loneliness and desperation.
Sexuality is an individual preference and the world over, people are waking to this fact. Holding on to obsolete laws will make us a regressive society. Reforms need certain courage and a certain conviction and cannot happen overnight. Declaring homosexuality, a crime is not good, it’s a preference and we have to learn to respect it.
You are the pure consciousness and beyond the body and its preferences. Why do you have to label yourself according to tendencies that arise temporarily and make yourself miserable and guilty? Raise yourself up and see - you are the sparkling light of divinity. You are love yourself.
Below are some of the often asked questions on Homosexuality, which Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar answers in the light of practical wisdom and philosophy. He provides guidance to clear the various doubts and confusions on the subject.
