The Dalai Lama on Celibacy

The Dalai Lama has been talking, in Nigeria, about his life of celibacy. "Sexual pressure, sexual desire, actually, I think is short-period satisfaction and, often, that leads to more complication," he said. Not that he hasn’t thought about it. "Naturally as a human being ... some kind of desire for sex comes, but then you use human intelligence to make comprehension that those relationships are always full of trouble." And if over Thanksgiving you wondered whether family life was worth it, the Tibetan sage has advice for you, too. "Too much attachment towards your children, towards your partner," was "one of the obstacles or hindrances of peace of mind," he said.