Chapter 18: Refraining from the Disaster of Sexual Indulgence

At the conclusion of this book, I have written this short article concerning refraining from the disaster of debauchery.  I advise everyone to observe ten methods:

1. As much as possible, read books of spiritual cultivation.
2. Observe the five precepts.
3. Respect Buddhas and deities.
4. Treasure your own spirit, essence, and soul.
5. Do not see and listen to things that violate etiquette.
6. Do not speak anything that concerns sexual lust.
7. Set pornographic books in flames.
8. Sex between couples should be restrained and should not be excessive (Monks and nuns should uphold their pure precepts)
9. Upon awakening, one should immediately get up.
10. Everyone should urge each other to observe these methods.

We know that with regard to the issue that upon seeing the beauty of others one arouses the mind of possession, it is already clearly explained in the T'ai-shang Kan-ying P'ien.  Such an offence will be recorded by the three spirits that reside in one's body, and by the stove deity and family deity.  It will be further verified by the three terraces and the Big Dipper.  

Being fond of the pleasures of the flesh and indulging in lust will certainly harm one's virtue invisibly.  Heaven has its own law of destiny.  One would destroy one's own reputation, and harm one's own benefit.  One destined to be rich would be diminished in fortune.  For one is without much fortune in their destiny, it would be an even more miserable and awkward experience,

Can't one observe how presidents and prime ministers are forced to resign because of their sexual scandals?

In fact, being fond of the pleasures of the flesh and indulging in lust cause many strange disasters.  This is because the moral principle in nature is thrown into disorder, and the moral principle in humans is also thrown into disorder.  Friendship is violated, and there must be one party that holds a grudge.  It may happen that a husband kills his wife, or the wife kills her husband, or the husband kills the other man who violated his wife, or the wife conspires together with her lover to kill her husband, or one commits suicide, or the two parties kill each other, and so on.  Situations like this steal one's lifespan away.

One should know that when the fire of lust is burning, one is very thirsty; when both parties flow out without any restraint, one's energy will be exhausted, and one's bones and marrow will dry out.  In addition, one will get all kinds of venereal diseases, such as aids, foul ulcers, and syphilis.  Some die young, some die from illness.  The one who is fond of the pleasures of the flesh, will certainly die.

Moreover, the person who is fond of bodily pleasures and indulges in lust is certainly not true of mind, for whenever one's thought of sexual desire arises, any of these thoughts will be devious.  When one's thought of greed arises, one's thought of anger is also generating, and all ignorant thoughts are generated, such as the false mind, the mind of conspiracy, the mind of jealousy, and the mind of harming others.  All these thoughts are endlessly entangled, one is distracted and indecisive, and commits all kinds of evil karmas.

At its worst extent, being fond of the pleasures of the flesh and indulging in lust can be reflected in cases of:

Molesting children,
Violating little girls.
Seducing widows,
And polluting nuns.

These deeds are not even committed by beasts, and thus the karmic offence increases a hundred times moreover!

Now I see that these four items of deeds are not even enough.  Contemporarily, the human heart has become so corrupt that it's already beyond the imagination.

Some have sex with dogs, and humans and animals have sex with each other.
Parents and children have sex with each other.
Brothers and sisters have sex with each other.
A grandfather molests his granddaughter.
A grandmother molests her grandson.

This kind of behavior is worse than animals, and it violates the moral principle. One will suffer the miserable retributions of the three lower realms of hell-beings, hungry ghosts, and animals, and these kinds of retributions are endless.

The Hua-yen Sutra stipulates:

"The bodhisattva often feels content with his own wife.  It is not permissive to indulge in sex excessively even in one's own bedroom, let alone dare to violate another's wife and daughters."

A record on rapid retribution states:

"I don't violate another's wife, and nor does another violate my wife."

The law of the underworld says:

"One who violates another's daughters will suffer the retribution of being heirless.  One who violates another's wife will suffer the retribution of having lustful offspring."

One should know that all forms are empty and illusory, and all sexual pleasures are very short.  The graceful gestures and charming figures are only superficial, for what's inside the body is the stench of excrement and urine.  One should always be alert, and should not generate false thoughts.  Even if a seductive girl approaches one, or a lustful woman asks for pleasure: when this kind of devious condition arises, one ought to endure it with pain, with a multitude of patience, with persistence and with force, in order to avoid making a mistake.  One should not to lose one's consciousness.  One should reflect on the circumstance with the power of wisdom, and control the situation with the right thought.

One should know that deities reside three inches above everyone, and the deities of the three terraces and Big Dipper are present.  Ghosts and spirits are invisibly present in observing everyone.  Inside one's body, one always carries three spirits residing in the head, belly, and feet.  Deities, such as the stove deity and house deity, are also present in one's home.  One shouldn't think that nobody would know.

The blessings and bliss of heaven can be obtained.  Nevertheless, by one false step, one will fall into the hell of suffering.  One has halt at the brink of the precipice, and turn around from the sea of suffering.  If one can't control oneself in a very difficult situation, one has to remind oneself that with one mistake, huge disasters will descend!

Wake up!  Wake up!

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