Q: Is "Swinging" Sexual Misconduct?

Wisdom Quarterly (EDITORIAL)

Q: "Let's say someone did find themselves in a mutually consenting relationship and wanted to go to a swinger's [sex] party or engage [with] multiple, even random, sexual partners. While it might not be sexual misconduct in the first instance, might [it become] that if [it] developed into an accustomed habit over expos[ing] oneself sensually? To keep with the spirit of the Dharma, would it be better to let go of craving, or is it neither-here-nor-there to cultivate such [a habit]?"

-Wei Jer

 

A: This is gorgeous and candid question (inspired by the article Buddhism's "Sexual Misconduct" Defined) to keep the editing team on their toes. Let's take it in pieces.

• Men's penises, women's orgasms, and other mysteries

What is sexual misconduct (kamesu micchacara)?  Technically, the Buddha defined it in terms of intercourse with 10 kinds of people:

• Sexual misconduct: conducting oneself in a detrimental manner (to oneself, another person, or both (society?) with regard to sensuality. Namely, one has intercourse with those under the protection of (1) father, (2) mother, (3) parents, (4) brother, (5) sister, (6) relatives or clan, or of (7) their religious community; or with (8) those promised to someone else, (9) protected by law, and even with (10) those betrothed with a garland" (Book of the Tens, AN, X.206).

"Think about it; you don't have to answer now."

What do these mean? Since this list is from The Book of the Tens, it stretches and contracts like an accordion, even at the risk of being redundant, to add up to ten. Let's summarize: 

  

It refers to any person under the protection or guardianship (meaning that someone is responsible for said person in addition to the person being responsible for him or herself) of someone else. It also covers those protected by law or decree (such as those incapable of giving consent due to their stage or condition) and those who are already engaged, dating, or promised to someone else. Societal and historical factors come into play, and it should be remembered that while the Buddha was speaking to ancient India, he was revealing a universally applicable, karmically effective principle: 

 

Let us do no harm
as we pursue our sensuality.

  

For to do so harms us as well and harms even those not directly involved. He was concerned with the agent, the passive recipient(s), the parents, the guardians, and the society as a whole. In the West we are prone to think only of the other person and sometimes only of ourselves. We rarely think of all the rest of those we affect.

What is being talked about? According to the "spirit" of the law, kamesu refers to sensuality. 

   

Sex and Buddhism (Suite101.com)

Sex represents (epitomizes) the entire class. But gluttony, a more common form of sensual abuse nowadays, is included as are all other abuses of our healthy senses. Who's to say what's "healthy"? We are -- unless we are under protection, in which case our guardian is. We are ultimately responsible for ourselves, but so is that person until we become independent. So let us defer to them then start doing whatever we want when we come of age. Or we can just do whatever we want right now -- but then let's not call that wise karma or Buddhism or even a smart or responsible thing to do.

Many of us have terrible parents, but we can't judge. We don't know they are "terrible" until we better understand the world and the danger we are protected from in our blissful ignorance. Everyone wants to do what s/he wants (by definition). Being willful is neither the way to wellness nor wisdom. Learn from teachers, the first of which are our parents and/or guardians even if we later look back and say they are fools. Why? There's an ancient Eastern saying:
   

"The wise person learns more from the fool than the fool ever learns from the wise."

As we read the Buddha's advice on sensuality, one overriding thing has to be kept in mind: 

  

Buddha at Thiksey (Ragg Burns Imaging/Flickr)

What is my goal? If my goal is the straight path to enlightenment and nirvana, it is wise to abandon sexuality and sensuality -- at least temporarily -- until something better comes are along.

 

What could be better than sensuality? There is a supersensual pleasure, bliss, that comes from virtue and concentration (sila and samadhi) that cannot be explained to those sunk in sensuality. It can. But who would believe it? Try it. It's better. It's superior to sensuality and sexuality. The Buddha never asked anyone to give up a greater thing for a lesser thing, always only the other way around.

  

This bliss or joy (piti) guided Siddhartha to right concentration -- the development of the first four absorptions (jhanas). It established him on the firm foundation of samadhi, which makes insight practice yield great results. So if the goal is the ultimate, do not settle for the immediate.

   

Most of us, however, are in no rush to reach the end of all suffering. We imagine we have time and a temperament for more suffering. That being the case, we know little relief from it other than sensuality. In this case, the Buddha advises us to avoid the dark karma trap of "misconduct." But conduct is okay. We may engage in things, but how will we keep from getting sucked in, "addicted," accustomed, trapped? It is possible so long as we go in with care and remain mindful of others as well as ourselves..

  

What is conduct? What is behavior, what is choice, what is action? Karma. Karma is bright, dark, neutral, and everything in between.
  
If it becomes an "accustomed habit," that does not make it misconduct. "Misconduct" technically refers whom we choose as partner(s). The ten to be avoided are those dependent on another, unable to give consent, and those promised to another. By avoiding these, we avoid blame and harm. Consenting individuals, if they can be found, pose no problem. Nor is sensual experience the problem with independent partner(s).
  
The real question is this: "To keep with the spirit of the Dharma, would it be better to let go of craving, or is it neither-here-nor-there to cultivate such [a habit]?"

Yes, it would be better to let go of craving. That is easy to do. First, one develops the habit of giving, which is a kind of letting go. We cultivates non-clinging or detachment. One takes a sober look at what one is holding onto and abandons the craving for it, first by sharing, then by giving away, then by not picking up the object. This will never lead to real letting go! Real letting go does itself when we develop insight:
   

Christy Turlington (sportforus.com)

Wise reflection (yoniso manasikara), contemplation (anussati), and insight-meditation (vipassana) takes the serene and concentrated mind and brings it to the object. What do we cling to? We might be clinging to anything, but generally we cling to ten general things. Whereas the first five are difficult to let go of, the next five are almost impossible to let go of because we never think to reflect on them as foreign, not ours, painful and distressing, impersonal, and wise to relinquish.

The first five are the "five strands of sensuality" -- what is experienced as pleasurable by way of sights, sounds, tangibles, tastes, and fragrances. The other five are the Five Aggregates of Clinging -- physical form, feeling, perceptions, (50) mental formations, and consciousness.

When the absorption-purified mind/heart knows-and-sees things as they really are (impermanent, impersonal, and suffering), it lets go. The temporarily-released heart (freed by concentration) is permanently released by wisdom.

CONCLUSION
So do what you want. Avoid hypocrisy. Avoid harming anyone in the process. And it should be okay, we say. Oh and, most importantly, call and invite us to the party: (555) WIS-DOM Q.

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The Seven Bonds of Sexuality (sutra)

Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly translation (Methuna Sutra, AN 7.47)

What does Buddhist philosophy say about sexuality? (Suite101.com)

   

WARNING: These "bonds" are applicable only to monastics and intensive practitioners (such as those on retreat) adopting Eight Precepts, which goes beyond the ordinary Five Precepts.

 

SAVATTHI, ancient India - The Brahmin Jāṇussoṇī approached the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous exchange was concluded, Jāṇussoṇī sat down respectfully at one side and said:

   
“Does the Blessed One profess to be a celibate practitioner (brahmachari)?”

  
“Brahmin,” the Buddha replied, “if rightly speaking one were to say of anyone, ‘He lives the perfect and pure supreme (brahmachari) life, unbroken, untorn, undiluted, spotless,’ he would rightly be speaking of me. For, Brahmin, I live the perfect and pure supreme life, unbroken, untorn, undiluted, spotless.”

  
“But, Master Gautama, what is the break, the tear, the dilution, the blotch of the supreme life?”
 
7 Faults of the False Brahmachari 

Prince Siddhartha prior to his spiritual quest

1. “Herein [within this Dharma], Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares that he is a real brahmachari. For he does not indulge in sexual intercourse (coupling) with women. But he consents to being rubbed, massaged, bathed, and kneaded by women. He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it. This, Brahmin, is a break, tear, dilution, and a blotch of the supreme life.

  
“This, Brahmin, is called one who leads the impure supreme life, who is devoted to indulging in coupling. He is not freed from birth, decay-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain: He is not freed from disappointment, I say!

2. “Furthermore, Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares himself to be a total brahmachari. Nor does he indulge in coupling with women. Nor does he consent to being rubbed, massaged, bathed, or kneaded by women. But he jokes with women, plays with them, jests with them. He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it.
   

“This, Brahmin, is a break, tear, dilution, and a blotch of the supreme life. This, Brahmin, is called one who leads the impure supreme life, who is devoted to indulging in coupling. He is not freed from birth, decay-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain: He is not freed from disappointment, I say!

   

Kinnari, beautiful (bird) people (Crorlz/Flickr)

3. “Furthermore, Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares himself to be a real brahmachari. For he does not indulge in coupling with women. Nor does he consent to being rubbed, massaged, bathed, or kneaded by women. Nor does he joke, play, or jest with women. But he gazes and looks eye to eye at women. He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it.... He is not freed from disappointment, I say!

 
4. “Furthermore, Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares himself to be a real brahmachari.... But he listens to the sounds of women through a wall or through a fence as they laugh, talk, sing, or weep. He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it.... He is not freed from disappointment, I say!

 
5. “Furthermore, Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares himself to be a real brahmachari.... But he recollects his former laughing and chatting and playing with women. He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it.... He is not freed from disappointment, I say! 

  

Mara tries to tempt an enlightened nun

6. “Furthermore, Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares himself to be a real brahmachari.... But he sees a householder or a householder’s son being entertained, showered, and serviced with the cords of sense-pleasures.... He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it.... He is not freed from disappointment, I say!

 
7. “Furthermore, Brahmin, a certain ascetic or Brahmin, declares himself to be a real brahmachari. For he does not indulge in coupling with women. Nor does he consent to being rubbed, massaged, bathed, or kneaded by women. Nor does he joke, play, or jest with women. Nor does he gaze or look eye to eye at women. Nor does he listen to the sounds of women through a wall or through a fence as they laugh, talk, sing, or weep. Nor does he recollect the previous laughing and chatting and playing with women. Nor does he see a householder or a householder’s son being entertained, showered, and serviced with the cords of sense-pleasures. 

 

“But he lives the supreme life aspiring for rebirth among one of the groups of devas (shining ones) thinking, ‘By this observance or vow or austerity or supreme life, I shall become a deva or one [reborn] among them.’ He relishes it, longs for it, and savors it. This, Brahmin, is a break, tear, dilution, and a blotch of the supreme life.

 
“This, Brahmin, is called one who leads the impure supreme life, who is devoted to indulging in coupling. He is not freed from birth, decay-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain: He is not freed from disappointment, I say!”

 
The Buddha has overcome all bonds

Ascetic Siddhartha accepts food from a woman

“And as long as I noticed that one or more of these seven bonds of sexuality were as yet unabandoned by me, to that extent, Brahmin, I did not claim to be supremely awakened in the peerless full enlightenment in this world with its devas, maras, brahmas, this generation with its recluses and Brahmins, its rulers, and people.

 
“But, Brahmin, when I did not notice any of these seven bonds of sexuality unabandoned in me, to that extent, Brahmin, I claimed to be supremely awakened in the peerless full enlightenment in this world with its devas, maras, brahmas, this generation with its recluses and brahmins, its rulers and people.

“And the knowledge and vision arose in me, ‘Unshakable is this liberation of mind/heart. This is my last birth. There is no more rebirth to come.’”

   
Jāṇussoṇī goes for guidance

When this was spoken, the Brahmin Jāṇussoṇī said this to the Buddha: “Excellent, Master Gautama! Excellent! Master Gautama! It is just as if one were to set upright what had been overturned, or were to reveal what was hidden, or were to show the way to one who was lost, or were to hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could discern forms. In just the same way, by numerous examples, has the Dharma been made clear by Master Gautama.

  
“I go to Master Gautama for guidance and to the Dharma and to the community of [accomplished] disciples. May Master Gautama remember us as lay followers who have gone for guidance from this day forward as long as life shall last.”

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"Sex and Buddhism," Part 3: Sin and Marriage

Maurice O'C Walshe, Buddhist Publication Society (bps.lk), edited by Wisdom Quarterly

Sexual Pleasure and the Concept of "Sin"

Reduced to essentials, the great debate about sex revolves, for many people, around the [Christian] concept of "sin."

To the Puritan, indulgence in sexual activity for the sake of pleasure is evil, wicked, or "sinful" (i.e., displeasing to God). To the permissive person, this is nonsense.

We probably reject the term "sin" as meaningless, and not only see nothing evil in sexual pleasure but regard it as highly legitimate, perhaps as the highest pleasure there is and certainly as something to which, in principle at least, everybody has a right.

  

Many people, coming from a more or less Christian background, with at least some puritanical overtones, find the true Buddhist attitude to this problem rather difficult to see. 

  

Perhaps they have never even been given a clear explanation of it or, if they have, it may have seemed too technical for them, and they have not grasped the point.

  

The point, in fact, is of considerable importance, so it is worthwhile attempting to make it clear. It involves a proper elementary grasp of what is meant by karma -- something which many people, who may have been "Buddhists" for years, have never had. 

  

We may, however, perhaps begin more profitably by considering the word sin. Sin to a Christian is primarily thought of as a breach of God's commandments. This explanation is, of course, not wrong in terms of Christian theology. But it is not applicable in Buddhism, where there are no such "commandments" that one can infringe.

   

As already indicated, the so-called precepts are in fact undertakings to oneself, which is something different. They are more on a par with the instruction, "Look both ways before you cross the road." 

   

Still there is much agreement between the content of the Five Precepts and some of the Ten Commandments, so it may be wise in many cases to behave accordingly, whichever formulation one follows.

 

However, there is another rendering of the word "sin" itself. In fact, although less well-known, it comes much closer to the Buddhist view of things. In the Bible "sin" [is an archery term that] actually renders Hebrew and Greek words which literally mean "missing the mark," that is, behaving inadequately or unskillfully.

  

The sinner, then, is like an unskillful archer who misses his or her target aimed at. (Could this be the real meaning of Zen and the Art of Archery?) Surely this comes very close to Buddhism's idea of akusala kamma ("unskilled action").

   

The Pali word kamma, or English and Sanskrit karma, literally means "action" (an act resulting from volition or cetana, the mental/heart motivation that impels it. It can be either skillful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala). 

  

The results of action (called vipaka and phala) accrue to the doer as resultant (vipaka), which is pleasant when the action was skillful, unpleasant when it was unskillful.

• SKILLFUL: karma motivated by the broad categories of non-greed, non-hatred, non-fear, or non-delusion.
• UNSKILLFUL: karma motivated by greed, aversion, fear, or delusion.

If I look before I cross the road, I shall get across safely, which is pleasant. If I don't look, I may get run down, which is unpleasant. The feelings we experience are in fact of the nature of mental resultants (vipaka): They are dependent on past karma. And, of course, we are continually creating more karma for a good part of our time.

  

   
It should therefore be noted that the feeling of pleasure (sexual or otherwise) is NOT an action, but a result. There is, therefore, nothing either "skillful" or "unskillful" about experiencing such a feeling. We should therefore not regard it as either "virtuous" or "sinful." So far, so good. [But we should be wary of what we do for the sake of getting that feeling.] 

   

Such pleasant feelings can be enjoyed with a clear conscience and no guilt feeling. If this were all, there would be no problem. The Puritans would be routed and the permissive people justified. 

    

Unfortunately, there is another side to the matter. We may recall that a few years ago there was a song "Money is the Root of all Evil." Some people pointed out that [biblically] not money but the love for money is the root of all evil (well, of a lot of evil anyway). And here is the snag. 

   

Sexual pleasure (like money) is not "evil" or unskillful. But attachment to sexual pleasure (like the love of money) is. If we can experience the pleasure without attachment we are all right; if we become attached to it, we are not "hitting the mark." [We become susceptible to the Seven Bonds of Sensuality and other troubles and disappointments.]

   

Now, of course ,it is rather difficult (to put it mildly) to experience pleasure of any sort without feeling attached to it. 

   

But attachment is karma. And it is unskillful karma at that. The results of that will inevitably, according to the Buddha, result in something unpleasant in the future. [The time of ripening is hard to know because it is opportunistic, coming to fruition when circumstances permit, which may not be for aeons or in this very life.]

  

What?!

Many people will find this explanation novel. Some will find it puzzling. Some will undoubtedly reject it -- with or without investigation -- with the excuse that it is overly subtle, or arbitrary, or something of the sort. 

  

What we mean, of course, is that we find it inconvenient. But it will repay a lot of consideration and mindful investigation. Careful study, in fact, shows that it is the key to the whole problem.

   

The matter can also be considered in terms of the lawful [regular] operation of Dependent Origination: 

• "Contact is the basis for the arising of feeling; feeling... of craving; craving... of clinging;" and so on, the ultimate outcome being the continued process of becoming, with all the suffering and disappointment entailed.

Thus, if we wish to adjudicate between Puritans and permissive folk, we cannot say that either side is entirely right. We might, however, suggest that the Puritans are partly right for the wrong reasons. Sexual indulgence is not "wicked," but it may be to some degree inadvisable. Most people will not feel able to refrain altogether (nor are they being urged to). There is merit in moderation.

   

Marriage

Setting aside all ideas derived from other sources, other religions and philosophies of life, what is the Buddhist attitude towards marriage?

   

For many Buddhists, East or West, there is no great problem. They live a reasonably normal married life just as do many Christians, humanists, and others. We may say they are lucky, or enjoy the results of favorable karma in this respect. For others, of all creeds or none, serious problems arise and must be somehow faced.

   

In the Christian tradition, marriage is usually termed a "sacrament." In some branches of Christianity it is treated as an indissoluble bond, though usually there are a few loopholes. Other branches of Christianity permit divorce in certain rather narrowly defined circumstances. And, of course, in most (though by no means all) countries the state permits divorce and the remarriage of divorced persons, with or without the approval of the Church.

  

In Buddhism, marriage is not a "sacrament." Such a concept does not exist. And it is not any part of the functions of Buddhist monastics to join lay people together in holy wedlock (or deadlocked). If it is occasionally done today in Japan, this is just a modern idea in conformity with a general tendency among Japanese Buddhists to imitate (often perhaps unwisely) Christian institutions.

   

In the Buddhist tradition it is often the custom for monastics to give their "blessing" (or "protective chanting"] after the civil wedding-ceremony has been performed. But even this is really more of a concession to the laity than anything else.

   

If the marriage does not turn out a success, no monastic has any authority to say that the marriage should not be dissolved. Divorce, like marriage, is strictly a civil affair. Likewise, if a married couple decides to practice contraception, that is entirely their business. The Monastic Order (Sangha) will not feel called upon to interfere or object. 

   

It must be admitted that certain monastics have been heard to declare that contraception is wrong and should be banned -- but that is their private opinion. It is no part of the Buddhist teaching.

   

Abortion is a different matter. Because this involves the taking of life, it contravenes the first precept. It can only be condoned in cases of serious health hazards, where it may represent the "lesser of two evils."

  

In getting married, people obviously take on a responsibility, both towards each other and towards whatever children they have [and society or the human world beyond their new nuclear unit].

   

Any form of irresponsible behavior is clearly reprehensible by any reasonable standards, whether we call ourselves Buddhists or anything else. If we bear in mind, and try to observe, all five precepts, the chances of a successful marriage are obviously increased. Excessive drinking, for instance (in breach of the fifth precept), is a potent source of unhappy marriages.

   

  
What, it may be asked, about "adultery," that is, hurtful extramarital sexual relations? The short answer is that, quite obviously, this is something to be avoided. But the point should be made that Buddhism does not regard this, or any other sexual irregularities and deviations, as somehow uniquely "wicked."

• Sexual misconduct, it will surprise Christian and Islamic readers, is not as concerned with whether an actor or agent is married. That is not the special concern -- as it is for Americans -- making it "adultery." The special concern, the great karmic harm, results from the status of the other person. Yes, of course, it would be unskillful to cheat on one's partner. But is the person one is cheating with being caused or encouraged to cheat on someone? If this were the case in Islamic countries, unmarried rapists would be stoned rather than married rape victims as the "adulterers."

In nominally Christian countries the special kind of horror with which such things are, or recently were, regarded can be pushed to grotesque extremes.

   

Not many years ago a certain politician was solemnly declared by some to be unfit to become prime minister because he had been the innocent partner in a divorce case! More recently, another politician was hounded from office because of acts of adultery of which his wife forgave him. Yet many politicians in all countries have gotten away with far worse things of a non-sexual character without a word being said. 

   

Buddhists should try to behave themselves sexually, as in other respects, to the best of their ability -- but we should learn to exercise the maximum of charity towards the lapses of others. 

  

If a marriage has irretrievably broken down, even though it may continue in name, the situation is of course quite different. In such circumstances one may well feel that complete abstinence is a burden greater than one can reasonably be expected to bear.

   

The things that can go wrong with a marriage are legion. A partner can be impotent, ill, irresponsible, jealous, drunken, a compulsive gambler, deranged, promiscuous, miserly, unemployable, or more than one of these things.

   

Or both partners can be perfectly charming people yet utterly unsuited to each other. It may be that only the children hold the "marriage" together. At the same time, there may be many reasons which make a dissolution impossible or impracticable.

    

An extramarital relationship in such circumstances may serve to make the situation tolerable. Those who find themselves in such a situation must make the best job of it they can. It is not for others, more fortunate or more timid, to be excessively censorious.

   

Sex Outside Marriage

Here again, we look at things calmly and clearly and, above all, responsibly. Nowadays there is pretty frank acceptance of what has always been the case, that a lot of people in fact have sex without going through the formality of getting married.

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Can girls be sex addicts? (video)

TurnMeOnDamnit.com; Amber Dorrian, Seven, Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; Indieculturebox

Sex addiction (whether called nymphomania or satyriasis) is a sad condition, but it is funny and entertaining as the topic of a Scandinavian teen sex comedy -- with all the neurosis and discomfort of high school.
 

TURN ME ON, DAMNIT! was awarded "Best Screenplay" at the Tribeca Film Festival 2011. It is a story about a group of teenage friends who feel trapped in the Norwegian small town they live in, which they constantly flip off. "D*ck-Alma" is experiencing desires she never felt before as she is discovering her sexuality. [No precipitating molestation is shown but it can be inferred.] Her sexual curiosity makes daydreaming and phone-sex an escape from everyday life. At a party, Artur -- the boy who frequents Alma's dreams -- makes a bold move on her, but everything seems to go wrong. The life Alma wanted to escape from has somehow become even worse. The film consists of beautiful frames and music, with dialogue that is careful but spot on. Jannicke Systad Jacobsen strikes against all the taboos surrounding young women's sexuality. The world has been waiting for a film like this. And we can only hope that we have evolved enough that fewer people will feel squeamish or shamed by something everyone goes through at a certain age. Starring: Helene Bergsholm, Malin Bjørhovde, Henriette Steenstrup, Beate Støfring, Matias Myren.

Laci Green saves the world (again)
   

Even with the success of Zen and Fifty Shades of Grey -- Catholic, Jewish, Christian fundamentalist America may not be ready for a light film on such a heavy topic. But since it comes from faraway Norway, it just might avoid protests, intolerant outbursts, and church condemnation. As Americans we are very confused about sex due to our hopelessly entangled Puritanical and pornographic roots.

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Penguins are sexually depraved perverts (video)

Periscopepost.com expanded by Wisdom Quarterly

Are penguins perverts? New pamphlet reveals “sexual depravity” of birds

[It's not just rapist ducks.] Century-old Antarctic account alleges necrophilia and sexual abuse among penguins.

  

Background

Deviants? (slapthepenguin.com)

A pamphlet has emerged detailing apparent sexual depravity among penguins. Written by George Levick, a scientist with the 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition, Sexual Habits of the Adélie Penguin contains observations of necrophilia and sexual coercion and abuse carried out by gangs of “hooligan” penguins.

  

According to the BBC Levick’s account was considered so shocking that it was left out of the official version of his published work on penguins, with the Natural History Museum suggesting a compromise: “The then keeper of zoology at the museum, Sidney Harmer, decided that 100 copies of the graphic account should be circulated to a select group of scientists.”

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Only two copies remain, one of which was recently discovered among the museum’s papers. This isn’t the first time the sexual behavior of penguins has hit the headlines. In 2011, a Canada [Toronto] zoo sparked outrage after deciding to separate “gay” penguin couple Buddy and Pedro in order to encourage them to find female mates. The story was dubbed “Brokeback Iceberg.”

WARNING: Gay themes in comedic gay context, coarse language! "Homo-
sexuality is found in over 450 species. Homophobia is found in only one." 
The many gay animal species bring the practice's abnormality into question.

 

But will the latest allegations of necrophilia and sexual abuse damage the penguin community’s cute image for good? 

  

Calm down, dears, they’re just penguins

Dr. Levick's notebook coded in Greek (BBC)

“What is happening here is the projection of human values onto a different species,” wrote Tim Stanley on a Telegraph blog. We seem to forget that penguins – and indeed other animals – don’t make moral choices, or have a sense of sexual identity. “At the same time that we more ruthlessly exploit animals than ever before, we also seem determined to find qualities within them that we can empathise with. We want to turn them into mirrors of ourselves,” Stanley said. 

Further research clarifies penguin “perversion”

Douglas Russell, curator of birds at the Natural History Museum, told The Observer that this apparently depraved behavior can be easily explained: young adult penguins are sexually inexperienced and simply don’t understand how to behave during mating season. “A dead penguin, lying with its eyes half-open, is very similar in appearance to a compliant female. The result is the so-called necrophilia that Levick witnessed and which so disgusted him,” Russell explained.

Scary scene in "Happy Feet" of seal predation and Robin Williams shtick

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Pope, Sandusky, Lynn: We didn't do nuthin'

Wisdom Quarterly

First the head of the Catholic Church and alleged former Hitler Youth member Pope Benedict XVI made these stunning comments on behalf of his clergy's homosexual rape and abuse of children: 

  

In a pre-recorded video message (not a spur of the moment gaff but a well thought out and approved position statement) the Pope told  75,000 worshipers gathering in Ireland from around the world for an outdoor Mass that it is a "mystery" why priests and other Church officials sexually abuse children entrusted to their care by parents and schools, undermining faith in the Roman Catholic Church "in an appalling way."

Benedict [who chose a strange name for himself when he became Pope, given that the most famous "Benedict" in history is the great traitor Benedict Arnold, at least from US-centric eyes] commented on the sexual abuse scandals and cover ups by Church hierarchy including his office.

• USA Crime: sex offenders to be required to use Facebook

Serial scandal survivor (unitednationsoffilm)

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania - It has been a tough week for child molesters, rapists, and abettors in Penn. Sports hero Coach Sandusky was found NOT guilty on three counts of raping children. However, he was convicted on 45 similar counts and will likely face civil lawsuits and life imprisonment.

  

Coach: serial child molester, rapist (Times)

His own adopted son was ready to testify that Sandusky molested him as well, adding fuel to the raging fire. The Coach therefore decided not to testify on his own behalf, thus avoiding his son. So the jurors never knew about the additional victim.
   
A movie (The Invisible War) came out about rape in the military mostly committed by serial rapists who prefer men and seem immune from any meaningful consequences. Soldiers violate their camaraderie and fraternal brotherhood by violating fellow soldiers, male and female, then go on to rape and murder civilians abroad. They may even come home to molest children and other men or women here. Or maybe they contribute to the growing rate of veteran suicides (averaging 18 a day, 500+ a month), a casualty rate higher than that brought about by combat.
  

Jury deliberates on the fate of trusted official who sexually abused kids (kshb.com).

Monsignor found guilty in church sex abuse case

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Monsignor William Lynn was found guilty on Friday of one count of endangering the welfare of a child, making him the highest-ranking US Roman Catholic official convicted in the [ongoing] church child sex abuse scandal.

• Catholic aide guilty of child endangermentA Catholic official was convicted of child endangerment but acquitted of conspiracy in the handling of sex abuse cases. 
• RELIGION: Pennsylvania priest jailed in sex abuse case
• Trial revives Catholic Church sex abuse crisis
• Feds accuse polygamous towns of religious discrimination
• RELIGION: Separating fact, fiction in Vatican leaks case
  Publication of confidential documents has left center of Roman Catholic Church in turmoil.  
  FAITH & REASON: Nuns to Vatican: "Mutual trust" is missing
  Justice Department sues polygamous towns 
  An attorney for law enforcement in two polygamous towns along the Utah-Arizona border says the department is suing both communities.  
• Catholic bishops press cause against federal mandates
• Catholic leaders launch two weeks of nationwide teaching, preaching and public events to press their fight against federal mandates.
•  
• RELIGION: Museum of Biblical Art raises profile amid challenges
  Future of renowned New York City museum looks less certain as founding director prepares to steps down.
• FAITH & REASON: Islam's view on dying, death and Mubarak's coma
  Islamic and Jewish bioethics are similar: In cases like Hosni Mubarak, Ariel Sharon, choose life but don't prolong dying.
  FAITH & REASON: Fred Luter elected Southern Baptists' first black president 
  The Rev. Fred Luter was elected as the first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
• FAITH & REASON: Rubio: Gay marriage is "about what society should tolerate"
  The short-list vice presidential candidate tells Christianity Today that the gay marriage debate is "about what society should tolerate."
  RELIGION: Churches of Christ aim to mend longstanding racial divides
• RELIGION: Vatican official blames media -- and the devil
  The Vatican's No. 2 official on Monday blamed the media -- and the devil -- for fueling the scandal over leaked Vatican documents.
    
  

  

  
  

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UK Buddhist chief convicted of sex abuse

Chief Sanghanayaka Thera of Great Britain Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Child Abuse

Colombo Telegraph (June 5, 2012) via The Buddhist Channel; Wisdom Quarterly

Sri Lankan chief monk convicted of sex abuse

LONDON, England - The Chief Monastic Order Elder of Great Britain and abbot of the Thames Buddhist Vihara has been convicted of four counts of indecent assault on a underage and sentenced to seven years in prison, a judge ruled [June 5, 2012].

   

He is also banned for working with children for life and his name is added to sex offenders register, a court spokesman told The Colombo Telegraph.

   

Venerable Pahalagama Somaratana, 65, of Dulverton Road, Croydon was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court on May 1 of four counts of indecent assault on a female under 16 between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1978 at an address in Chiswick.

   

He was found not guilty of the rape of a female under 16 between January 1,1977 and December 31, 1978 at an address in Chiswick and not guilty of indecent assault on a female under 14 between January 1, 1985 and December 31, 1986 at an address in Croydon.

• [This is even more serious because it is absolutely a breach of monastic disciplinary rules, which means that if penetration happened -- whether or not he was convicted of it or even charged -- he has committed a grave "defeat" offense (parajika) and is instantly not a monk and not part of the Order. In addition, he has discredited the Buddha's message (Dharma), Theravada Buddhism, the Male Monastic Order (Bhikkhu Sangha), Sri Lanka (his country of origin), and celibate Buddhist monasticism.]
• Sri Lankan Buddhist monk beat 14-year-old Catholic student for refusing to learn Buddhism

In May 2010 Child Abuse Investigation Command officers began an investigation into historical allegations of indecent assault and rape. On Tuesday, 14 September 2010 a (then) 64-year-old monk was arrested on suspicion of an historical indecent assault and rape. He was questioned at Heathrow police station and later bailed pending further enquiries.

 

He was charged on September 12, 2011 and further charged on  November 11, 2011.

  

On Friday, September 23 Pahalagama Somaratana appeared on bail at Feltham Magistrates’ Court charged with rape of female under 16 between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1978 at an address in Chiswick and indecent assault on a female under 16 between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1978 at an address in Chiswick.

   

Pahalagama Somaratana has been charged with another eight counts of sexual abuse on Friday, November 11 the London Metropolitan police told the Colombo Telegraph. According to the metropolitan police these eight indecent assaults on a female under 14 took place between January 1, 1985 and December 31, 1986 at an address in Croydon.

   

The 65-year-old Pahalagama Somaratana Thero appeared on bail at Feltham Magistrates’ Court on Friday, December 2 and was bailed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on December 20, 2011. Source

Sri Lankan war and sex crimes against Tamils

Raped ethnic minority Tamil Hindu rebel

GRAPHIC CONTENT! A new video shows the Tamil rebel [LTTE] media TV announcer Issapriya’s naked body (shown left). It lies with hundreds of dead bodies, first with hands tied then untied. They indicate that she had been raped by Sri Lankan soldiers then executed.

  

A [majority Sinhalese Theravada Buddhist] security forces officer speaking in Sinhalese to a female says, “Here,  here, Voice of Tiger announcer.” (See at Minute 2:56 in the video).

• When her dead body was photographed the first time, her hands were tied behind her back; she had allegedly been raped.

The video clearly demonstrates a woeful and consistent pattern by the Sri Lankan forces: Most of the female combatants, armed and unarmed, as well as civilians are stripped naked or have their underwear pulled down to their knees and their bras are either missing or near their neck, exposing the breasts of teenage girls and young women. Only a few men are stripped naked. [Do Sri Lankan soldiers rape them, too?]

• On Tamil sovereignty cognition and war crimes
• PHOTO: US soldiers rape of Afghan boy?
• (David Blacker) Here is a picture of US troops [illegally posing] with [murdered corpse of civilian boy,] an executed 15-year-old Afghan child near Kandahar in 2010. Would you agree that the corpse’s nudity and the blood on his legs are more indicative of violent rape [sodomy] than the above pictures [of Tamil victims]?

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Welcome to the Military (trailer)

NewVideoDigital

Coming to theaters June 22, 2012. Facebook: Invisible War movie

THE INVISIBLE WAR is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of our country's most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the US military. Today, a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The number of assaults in the last decade is in the hundreds of thousands. More male soldiers are raped by fellow US male soldiers than women. Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of several young military women, the film reveals the systemic cover up of the crimes against them and follows their struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice. THE INVISIBLE WAR features hard-hitting interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress that reveal the perfect storm conditions that exist for rape in the military, its history of cover-up, and what can be done to bring about much needed change.

• Ian Masters interview  Whistle blowers speak out. Directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering discuss their groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape in the US Armed Forces. It has claimed half a million victims, yet there are institutions that perpetuate a cover up.
• Madeleine Brand interview: Exposing serial rape and molestation  Rape in the military, of women and men, is the subject of a new documentary called "The Invisible War," which debuted at Sundance this year and now opens theatrically in Los Angeles.

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Monks walk away from sex-abuse cases

Text: Megan Twohey (Chicago Tribune, July 24, 2011); Wisdom Quarterly

Across the U.S., temples frustrate investigators by insisting they have no control over monks' actions or whereabouts. The scourge is not limited to Catholic priests and nuns.

 

The meeting took place at Wat Dhammaram, a cavernous [Thai] Theravada Buddhist temple on the southwest edge of Chicago.
  
A tearful 12-year-old told three monks how another monk had turned off the lights during a tutoring session, lifted her shirt and kissed and fondled her breasts while pressing against her, according to a lawsuit.

• In fairness to the monks, but more so to the abused, they probably do not know that outside of pious Thailand and other Buddhist countries, where this sort of behavior may be tolerated and kept as a terrible secret behind layers of agonizing shame and dysfunctional fear, in this country, "Homey don't play that!" In other words, expect legal troubles. This is not Rome. In no way can this behavior be tolerated, condoned, excused, or covered up. It is the ruin of the monastic Sangha and Buddhism.
• U.S. has about 350 Theravada Buddhist temples 
• Buddhist temple embroiled in bitter dispute
• WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? What would allow monastics to stay on the path rather than endangering themselves, child victims, and Buddhism? Sexual contact is a serious offense; moreover, any kind of penetration means immediate and irreversible defeat and expulsion. Only practicing the meditative absorptions (jhanas) works in the long run, and only liberating insight finally frees one permanently. The Western Buddhist nun Ayya Khema explains this (at Minute 3:25) from first hand experience. This also applies for non-Buddhist clerics and monastics because the absorptions are not limited to the Buddha's teaching.
• VIDEO: "Losing My Religion" (R.E.M.)
  

Editor: Prof. Cabezon, UCSB

Shortly after that meeting, one of the monks sent a letter to the girl's family, saying the temple's monastic community had resolved the matter, the lawsuit says.
   

The "wrong doer had accepted what he had done," wrote P. Boonshoo Sriburin, and within days would "leave the temple permanently" by flying back to Thailand. "We have done our best to restore the order," the letter said.

   

But 11 years later, the monk, Camnong Boa-Ubol, serves at a temple in California, where he says he interacts with children even as he faces a second claim, supported by DNA, that he impregnated a girl in the Chicago area.

   

Monastics are often beset by defilements.

Sriburin acknowledges that restoring order did not involve stopping Boa-Ubol from making the move to California. And it did not involve issuing a warning to the temple there. Wat Dhammaram didn't even tell its own board of directors what happened with the monk, he said.

"We have no authority to do anything. … He has his own choice to live anywhere," Sriburin said.

   

A Tribune review of sexual abuse cases involving several Theravada Buddhist temples found minimal accountability and lax oversight of monks accused of preying on vulnerable targets.

   

Because they answer to no outside ecclesiastical authority, the temples respond to allegations as they see fit. And because the monks are viewed as free agents, temples claim to have no way of controlling what they do next. More

Documentary: A Thai Buddhist temple in Florida (Thomas Livezey)

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