tiistai, 10. lokakuu 2006
Let's talk about sex
Apparently this repression has not always been the case but was imported by Victorian Brits.
Of course, even before them there have been holy men who take their celibacy seriously. For example, the buddhist monks of the northern mountains. In times of distress they chant 'Om mani padme hum', a mantra that is considered a panacea. The meaning of this chant is either 'the lightning strikes the lotus flower', 'the jewel in the lotus flower', or plain 'lotus flower'. I prefer not to reproduce the rather apparent symbolism here, because you can read about it from numerous sources, including this one.
This leads to two different interpretations. A) a distressed monk calms himself by thinking about sex, or B) 'om mani padme hum' is just a local way to say 'voi vittu!' or 'for fuck's sake!
(If you are interested in the adventures of the detached penis of Shiva, read here how it burned like a thousand suns and was so long that even though Hari (that is Vishnu) in the form of boar walked along the penis for 4000 years, he could not find its end. Truly is hinduism a mighty religion!)