Round. What is round?
The sun, the moon, breasts, buttocks;
this curve of yearning
in my chest and belly.
I am prone to indiscretion.
Take me to that other shore
where each pore of my skin is a yoni,
thrilled by the breath
of soft air.
Alone with craving,
this old man’s foolishness
must cook within
until it is done,
and the heavenly light
of each breast and buttock
shines.
(No. 89 in a series of responses to Han-shan’s Songs of Cold Mountain)
This was written during a many month experiment with tantric celibacy. Though this celibate period was not initially by choice, I quickly came to embrace it, replacing potential feelings of victimization with a deep sense of opportunity and possibility.
Yoga and meditation assisted celibacy can lead to startling insights. Many of these are psychologically useful and often numinous in nature. Another term for this process is “sublimation” which should be thought of as an alchemical transformation, rather than receiving the bum Freudian rap the term often endures.
See Stuart Sovatsky’s very interesting (if a little uneven) Passions of Innocence for insight into tantric celibacy.
(Numeric reference to Han-shan’s poem reflects the order of presentation in Burton Watson’s translation, presented as Cold Mountain, Columbia University Press, 1970.)
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