Have you ever had a memory that haunts you to this day? I have.
First, I’d like to say that I’ve been a great admirer of world literature since high school. I’ve learned by then that good literature is not limited to “canonical” works and that even some works considered “obscene” by the conservative community is worth some literary merit. Among these are the stories of D.H. Lawrence and the poems of Sappho, a Lesbian poet. Whether or not Sappho was a lesbian is a subject of debate; she was, however, a Lesbian, a native of the island of Lesbos. And if you’re wondering, yes, that’s where we get the word “lesbian”. And believe it or not, our Bible has its own share of erotic verses, and there’s nothing dirty about it. The way I see it, sex is wonderful, it’s beautiful, and if it feels so nice, God must have made it that way.
I remember learning the value of happiness in Philosophy and how that applies to ethics. Apparently, we human beings do things to make ourselves happy, right? We buy stuff because the happiness that certain objects—books, CDs, iPods, cellphones, laptops, or elaborate home theater systems—satisfy us. But according to St. Thomas Aquinas’s writings, which are derived from Aristotle, the ultimate happiness is achieved from Union with God and our good deeds on earth eventually lead us there. In that ultimate happiness, we would want nothing else. The way I understand it, sex is an imitation of that Union. Get it? Union?—sex?—pure joy?
But I am not going to argue about the value of sex; being inexperienced in the matter, I feel it is not my place to discuss it in depth. Instead, I am going to discuss the value of erotic literature—religious erotic literature. And I’m not talking about King Solomon’s surprisingly graphic Song of Songs.
When I was 16, a high school senior, a visiting professor arrived in the school to give an anti-pornography lecture. I had absolutely no interest in pornography at the time. And having almost absolutely no knowledge about sex (except having learned only as recently as the previous year how it was actually done), I wasn’t able to evaluate all the visiting professor’s ranting properly. In the six years that followed, I learned that she was a self-righteous fundamentalist who doesn’t know what she’s talking about and has never even seen actual pornography. She thinks online games that bear images of scantily clad, unrealistically big-breasted warrior women are examples. If she knew what she was talking about at all, she would have brought up fetishes like rape fantasies and such, and pornographic films that cater to such fetishes.
I say this because near the end of her lecture, she summoned audience participation and asked us to give examples of pornography. This memory makes me cry. The second person to give an example was a 15-year-old boy who gave the Kama Sutra as an example. And the idiot professor, unwittingly proving that she is an inept lecturer, didn’t know what the Kama Sutra was. The equally stupid boy explained that the Kama Sutra is a manual of sex positions. The professor was scandalized, and exclaimed that she had never tried out different sex positions. Alas, a majority of us didn’t know any better either.
Although I had already known at the time that the Kama Sutra is one of the most important pieces of Hindu literature, I had no idea how to explain that sex has its spiritual value. I kept quiet, more out of shock that the Kama Sutra is seen by these morons as pornographic. My deepest regret is that I didn’t bother to at least raise my voice and fist in protest.
For those who don’t know anything about Hinduism, let me explain their spirituality. Similar to the Five Pillars of Islam, the Hindus have what they call the Four Main Goals of Life or Purusarthas. Those are dharma, artha, kama and moksha, essential values that a person must fulfill in life as he goes through the four ashramas or stages of life, namely Brahmacharya (student or scholar), Grihastha (householder), Vaanprastha (hermit), and Sanyaasa (ascetic).
Kama refers to one’s pursuit of happiness by means of sensual pleasure. Although their highest spiritual goal is beyond this world, Hindus understand that it’s also important to make their earthly lives enjoyable. It makes life more meaningful. Sex is regarded as the height of all earthly pleasure. So Hindus take care to make sexual intimacy special.
That’s where the Kama Sutra is involved. Sex positions are not the only contents of the book, although they comprise the bulk of it. The book also contains advice for touching, kissing and relationships with concubines and courtesans. I’ve heard (or read) that the Kama Sutra is essential for a Hindu bride, indicating that this book is considered the key to a successful marriage.
The emphasis on sex positions has its own spiritual value. Given that each position is named after a body of nature (like a flower, a tree, or a celestial object) brings the human person back to his origin in nature. So sharing that with a beloved brings intimacy to a whole new level, doesn’t it? And I’m aware that this might not apply, but given that sex is an imitation of the Ultimate Happiness (i.e. Union with God), would it also echo the Hindu belief that each soul is to someday unite with Brahma?
It is important to understand that although the Christian doctrines tend to be rigid, it’s wise to avoid looking at other religions as subordinate. Hinduism values sex differently from the way Christianity does. For Christians, it’s a bit of a taboo topic, but not for the Hindus. For them, it’s so wonderful that it is meant to be upheld, a treasure to be cherished. There is nothing obscene about that. So when they read the Kama Sutra and practice its contents, it is not to indulge their lust, the way people subscribe to porn sites just to see naked people getting busy; on the contrary, it is to enjoy life while it last, and at the same time conforming to their spiritual obligations.
Pity I learned all of this too late. I can never forgive that stupid woman for misleading a room full of impressionable minds, and I find it hard to forgive myself for letting her do it. Pornography serves only to serve people’s lust; the Kama Sutra does not. End of discussion.
