I don’t disagree with you at all from the perspective that as a Buddhist who wishes to walk the path towards nirvana, any forms of attachments from desires are indeed hindrances.

However, if we are talking about practical daily life with desires and wants and needs and how to balance and live those life without fear. Then it is important for people who are attracted to the same sex that the Buddhist teachings does not discriminates or judge their desires or acts differently from the others.

So that same with lay Buddhists who wishes gets married and have children and form a family. Perhaps all Buddhist organizations and monks and nuns, should also discourage them from getting married and forming a family and having children because it all desires and hindrance, no? Tell them during their wedding that getting married is a hindrance and suffering and perhaps also tell them when their first child is born that that desire is also a hindrance and suffering.

Perhaps you can preach this way to everyone you know including your parents, your married siblings and to be married friends or siblings and the grandparent who is happy they just got their first grandson… perhaps you should tell them that all is suffering is should be abandoned and avoided.

I hope that you don’t get offended because all I am trying to do is just to use your own logic to ask you to apply what you have said to the people around you.

If you can convince all the heterosexuals around you, then perhaps it will work against homosexuals.

I don’t wish to go into a lengthy debate on whether homosexuality is acceptable in Buddhism, for there are enough debates out there already.

The point I want to make is, Buddha’s teachings is for us to exit samsara, not for justification of orientation.

Whether a person is a homosexual / heterosexual or any other orientation, the most important point as a Buddhist is to get out of samsara. To get out would mean severing lustful desires.

A homosexual person suffers when he/she feels society cant accept them and their behaviour, or when his partner has a change of heart etc.

Similarly, a heterosexual person too suffers when he/she feels unacceptable by society in anyway, or when his partner has a change of heart etc.

What is really the cause behind these sufferings? It is lustful desires. If there are no lustful desires, such suffering will not exist. So whether one is homo or hetero, it is important to severe lustful desires to end these suffering in the ultimate way. This is the point I am trying to bring forth in the previous post.

Homosexual rape of young novices is institutionalized in Tibetan Buddhist monsteries. This includes India, Nepal, Taiwan, and…we don’t know if this practice continues in Chinese Tibet. For information on the problem in India and Nepal, see: http://www.lamashree.org/dalailama_08_childabuse_tibetanbuddhistmonasteries.htm

“Buddhism judges acts, including sexual acts, primarily by the intention (cetana) behind them and the effect they have…”

…and then…

“…I am sorry to say that the Dalai Lama’s ideas about homosexuality are on a par with his (and other Tibetans’) belief that turning a prayer wheels will ‘pray’ for you…”

Now I’m a Pali Tipitaka man myself, but I feel that if it is intention that determines kamma, and the prayer wheel is being pushed with the intent that this act will help ease the sufferings of other living beings, then the prayer wheel is functioning as a kind of ‘reminder’ in the same way as when we bow to the Buddha image, we realize that we are not bowing to the literal Buddha, but to the concept (as a way to show respect and purify our mind). If, however, someone’s mind did not incline towards goodness while turning the prayer wheel, I have to agree that I also cannot see how the prayers contained within could still ‘work’ (but do some people actually believe they still would work??)

May you be well, and continue blogging for the benefit of all cyber-Byuddhists,
Andrew.

A few things that you need to clarify:

1) What is “against the nature of things?” Is using forks and spoon or chopsticks against nature of things? or using plastic or using condoms for that matter? What is your definition of “nature” and “the nature of things”?

2) Which specific reference in the 3rd precept is “against” homosexuality? In what context was this spoken and what explanation/logic was give for this misconduct?

Metta
Kelvin Wong

Whether a person is (any)sexual, he/she should learn to put down their attachments to their own “masculinity” or “femininity” as these are but false forms. Buddhism teaches us to put down all attachments. Lust should be severed – this is to truly observe the 3rd precept, not only in body, but at the levels of speech and mind.

If everyone would choose not to focus on their own and others’ maleness and femaleness – weaken their mark of self and others, and channel their energies instead to spiritual cultivation to get out of samsara, there wouldn’t be any need to fight for any LGBT “rights”, or deal with issues of abortion, extra-marital affairs and such. There is really no need to fight or debate over such things, if we are lucky to be born again as humans, these debates will still continue, and we can debate and debate life after life and there is still no end. What use is there is that when we could soon turn into animals, hungry ghosts, or hell beings suffering immeasurable pain? End birth and death, and all problems will end of their own.

Being a homosexual or heterosexual or whatever is suffering, why? Because of the mind of love and desire. If there isn’t love and desire, there wouldn’t be any problem in the 1st place. So to cut of love and desire solves the problem at the root. When we cut off the 3 poisons of greed, hatred and delusion, we severe love and desire.

There is a method of getting rid of the 3 poisons of the mind. That is to constantly and sincerely recite the name of Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa and revently bow to Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa. This was stated very clearly in chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra.

“If living beings who have much sexual desire constantly and reverently recite the name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, they will be separated from desire.

If those who have much hatred constantly and reverently recite the name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, they will be separated from hatred.

If those who are very stupid constantly and reverently recite the name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, they will be separated from stupidity.”