Celibacy and Spiritual Development

[JGilbert]

Hey Robert!

I have a few questions:

Is it necessary to be celibate (and not sexually active in any way) in order to achieve high states of spiritual development? (achieving enlightenment, kundalini development, etc?)

Or is celibacy just a preferred living style for maintaining focus, but not required for spiritual development?

If I choose to live a celibate lifestyle and stay single my entire life, am I missing out on important life experiences that are necessary for spiritual development?

I know many eastern practices require celibacy, and I wanted to get your take on it.

Thank you so much! I have read your all your books and many of your articles, and your teachings have been invaluable!

-Jason

[Robert Bruce]

G'day Jason,

Celibacy is not necessary for spiritual development.

Some choose this to help maintain focus.

Most choose it out of misunderstanding, of attempting to follow ancient and unrealistic religious dogmas.

In reality, having a good relationship (= spouse and family) is massively balancing and far outweighs any benefits one might gain from being 'alone'.

When I first raised kundalini, I had a wife and 4 children. None of them were neglected in any way.

In a nutshell....spiritual development takes balance, inner balance, outer balance, and physical balance. This is key.

It is more difficult to attain a balanced state if one is alone? And keep in mind that a good partner provides a wonderful mirror, reflecting what IS.

while it is difficult to find the ideal partner...it is worth the effort as this is a spiritual gift beyond compared.

Take care, Robert