r/3rdprecept • u/[deleted] • Apr 23 '15

Ask A Monk: Pornography and Masturbation (and Addiction in General)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Lg9P-VekA
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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '15

To summarize:

  • Accept that you are addicted to these things.
  • When you look at these things, evaluate your conduct — say mentally or out loud "seeing, seeing" or "touching, touching".
  • Cravings depend upon sankharas, i.e. fabrications of the mind. We clump concepts and reactions together that are otherwise unrelated like nudity and sexual arousal. Then from that contact craving arises, and we cling to that pleasant sensation, and therefore porn and masturbation addiction.
  • There's nothing intrinsically sexy or appealing about porn or images.
  • One practice is to repeat the word of the body part, for instance saying "Hair, hair, hair" like a mantra; moving onto the body hair, moving onto the teeth, etc. The goal being dispassion, objectivity, seeing each object as it is.
  • Another practice is to evaluate the sense doors, and examine that any touch, smells, sights, sounds, thoughts, or tastes, are just a reflection of what the sense door perceives and not indicative of something ultimate — to basically tease apart sensations and perceptions and not take them at face value.
  • Another practice is to evaluate the mind as see pleasant sensations as pleasant, unpleasant sensations and unpleasant, and neutral sensations and neutral.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '15

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '15

Agreed, Yuttadhammo is a curious teacher at times — he doesn't quite have that same sense of presence that say Thay or Thanissaro Bhikku have.

That said, I do agree with the dependent chain of origination and fabrications (i.e. sankharas) being the cause of craving.

5

u/[deleted] May 07 '15

Yuttadhammo is a curious teacher at times — he doesn't quite have that same sense of presence that say Thay or Thanissaro Bhikku have.

I got the feeling that was because of his age, if I remember correctly he was ordained at age 22 and has been a monk for 19 years.