A Sotāpanna still has sexual desire. How about a person who is at the next level after Sotāpanna, does he still have sexual desire?

Question (M1):  A Sotāpanna still has sexual desire. How about a person who is at the next level after Sotāpanna, does he still have sexual desire?

Than Ajahn:  Yes. He still has sexual desire in his mind. He hasn’t got rid of it. He has the ability to restraint it but he can’t get rid of it. It depends on the status of that person. If he is a layperson and has a wife, then he still does the duty as a husband because it isn’t wrong to have sexual activity. It isn’t against the five precept. However, if he is a monk, he has to adhere to the precept that stops him from performing any sexual activity. But he still has sexual desire. He just has strong enough mindfulness to curb it although he can’t get rid of it. He can only get rid of it if he develops asubha practice, the perception of the repulsiveness of the body. When he sees the body as being ugly, then he can get rid of his sexual desire.

If you are at the next level, you have reduced your sexual desire by 50%. Your sexual desire become less when you become a Sakadāgāmī. If you can get rid of it entirely, you are an Anāgāmī. How to get rid of sexual desire entirely?

Every time when you see a person, you see the ‘asubha’ in that person right away. If you still see someone sometimes as good-looking, sometimes as asubha, you are half way there. You need to develop continuous asubha perception in order to get rid of all your sexual desire because your sexual desire arises from your perception. If you perceive someone as beautiful, your sexual desire will arise. If you perceive someone as unattractive, then you can get rid of your sexual desire, you become an Anāgāmī.

That’s the third level of enlightenment.

At that stage, you’re still attached to the happiness from the calm state of mind. You have to relinquish this attachment. If you still have desire for the calm state of mind, it can cause you suffering or unhappiness when it disappears. Because that calm state of mind is not permanent yet. It still rises and ceases. When it rises, you’re happy. When it ceases, you become unhappy. So, you have to get rid of your attachment to the condition inside the mind because the condition inside the mind still fluctuates. If you can get rid of your attachment, you become an arahant, you’ve got rid of all your desires.

Your attachment arises from your desire. Your desire arises from not seeing that things are impermanent. Once you see that they are impermanent, then you can’t force them to be permanent.

If you want them to stay permanent but in reality they are not, you become sad. And if you don’t want to become sad, you just don’t bother about them. Leave them alone. Just observe them without any desire towards them.

Then, your mind becomes peaceful and calm. When there is desire, the mind becomes restless and agitated.

“Dhamma in English, Jun 11, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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