Material Changes in Sexuality

1
Material Changes in Sexuality

• Availability of birth control
• Medical improvements in treating STDs
• Ease of transportation ( anonymity of cities, as
  discussed last class)
• Medical improvements in pre-natal care, in
  OB/GYN, survival through childbirth
• Improved access to education (educated women have
  fewer children, on average)
• Overpopulation more at issue than underpopulation
  (let alone survival of species).

2
A Daily Bread Excerpt

• I have noticed that the line between religion
  and society can not be easily distinguished

3
Asian Religious Traditions

• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Indian cluster of religions includes Hinduism,
  Jainism, Buddhism, and, much later, Sikhism
• Chinese cluster of religions, including
  Confucianism, Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism

4
Continuum Concepts

• Order
• Structure
• System
• Hierarchy
• Limited
• Regulated
• Conserving Tradition
• Restrained
• Rule of Law
• Sober

• Spontaneity
• Fluidity
• Improvisation
• Equality
• Limitless
• Unregulated
• Expanding Tradition
• Exuberant
• Rule of Heart
• Mystical

5
Continuum Concepts

• Order
• Structure
• System
• Hierarchy
• Limited
• Regulated
• Conserving Tradition
• Restrained
• Rule of Law
• Sober

• Spontaneity
• Fluidity
• Improvisation
• Equality
• Limitless
• Unregulated
• Expanding Tradition
• Exuberant
• Rule of Heart
• Mystical

Social systems that favor the left column, tend
to regulate sexuality. Social systems that favor
the right column, tend to celebrate
sexuality. This is what Manning and Zuckerman
call sex-negative
sex-positive These terms are used in Womens
Studies GLBT Studies, too.
6
Continuum Concepts Cosmologically Considered

• Order
• Structure
• System
• Hierarchy
• Limited
• Regulated
• Conserving Tradition
• Restrained
• Rule of Law
• Sober
• Transcendent Authority

• Spontaneity
• Fluidity
• Improvisation
• Equality
• Limitless
• Unregulated
• Expanding Tradition
• Exuberant
• Rule of Heart
• Mystical
• Immanent Experience

7
(the) Party of Order" claimed to have "saved"
society against the "enemies of society." They
gave out the slogans of the old social
order"Property, Family, Religion, Order"as the
passwords for their army, and cried out to the
counter-revolutionary crusaders "In this sign
thou wilt conquer!" From that moment on, so soon
as any of the numerous parties, which marshaled
themselves under this sign tries, in turn, to
take the revolutionary field in the interest of
its own class, it goes down in its turn before
the cry "Property, Family, Religion, Order."
Thus it happens that "society is saved" as often
as the circle of its ruling class is narrowed, as
often as a more exclusive interest asserts itself
over the general. Karl Marx, The Eighteenth
Brumaire of Napoleon Bonaparte
8
Khajuraho

• A monk caresses a layman, from the Temple of
  Visvanatha, Khajuraho, Central India, 10th
  century CE.

9
Vira-saiva movement

• Vira-saiva, lit. heroic, militant faith in Siva
• Kalyana - city in Karnataka where Vira-saiva-s
  met
• Allamu Prabhu - leader of Vira-saiva
• Basavanna - older brother, most talented poet
  and organizer of group, important civil leader as
  well
• Anubhavamantapa - The Mansion of Experience where
  the Vira-saiva-s met

10
Saguna and Nirguna

• Saguna - conditioned
• Divine has attributes, characteristics
• Personal divinity
• Both are necessary

• Nirguna - unconditioned
• Sacred is abstract, conceived philosophically
• Impersonal
• to experience infinitude

11
AkkaMahadevi (ca. 1135-1160)

• All the Vedas, scriptures and
• Sacred lore, canons and codes,
• Are but grist and husk ground in the mill.
• Why grind this, why winnow?
• When you behead the mind that
• Flows here and there,
• O Cennamallikarjuna, jasmine-tender,
• There remains eternal space.

12
Look at love's marvellous ways if you shoot
an arrow plant it till no feather shows if
you hug a body, bones must crunch and
crumble weld, the welding must vanish Love
is then our lord's love
13
Linga imagery

• My heart is pierced with Linga ecstasy
• How, then, can I
• Be part and parcel of Thyself?
• How, then, O Lord, can I unite with Thee?
• Tell me, O Mallikarjuna, where
• I can attain the Absolute,
• With my heart full and overflowing with
• The peace that comes of the supremest bliss.

14
Panentheism and material immanence

• When I didn't know myself
• where were you?
• Like the colour in the gold,
• you were in me.
• I saw in you,
• lord white as jasmine,
• the paradox of your being
• in me
• without showing a limb.

15
another AkkaMahadevi vacana

• The notion that 'I know' must miss the point,
• As sod kicked by the foot must swerve aside.
• The heart, forgetful of the world, engrossed
• In Linga, is sickened of all circumstance.
• Does arrow burnt in fire sport its feather?
• One must unite with Lord Cenna Mallikarjuna,
• As the wind blowing wantonly
• Absorbs the scent.