Buddhism and gay/lesbian sexuality


Contents:

Gay Buddhist Open Forum
An international, minimally moderated online forum for the discussion of Buddhist teachings and practices for the LGBTQ community. Newcomers to Buddhism are most welcome!

Do Monks Have Sex?
by Jangchup Phelgyal. This essay is a shorter version of a talk given to GBF on Sunday, February 14, 1999.
"When I agreed to speak to the Gay Buddhist Fellowship in February, I hoped for a topic which offered listeners support for their Buddhist practice. I told my teacher, Geshe Yeshe Phegey, that I'd decided to pose the question, "Do monks have sex with each other?" He laughed and asked why anyone would be interested in a monk's sex life..."

The Precept About Sexuality
By Jim Wilson Transcribed from a Dharma talk given at the November 1, 1998, GBF sitting.
"The precepts play a pivotal role in our practice and in our entry into the Buddhadharma and the realm of the Buddha. The Fourth Precept (in some precepts the Third) is the sex precept. Soen Sa Nim used to tell me that if your audience is getting bored, tell them a pithy Zen story. He says if they're still bored, bring up sex..."

Spirit Matters
By Tom Moon.
"...It seems that increasing numbers of [gay people] are actually participating in the goings-on [in church] on the outrageous assumption that we have every right to do so. Worse yet, we just can't seem to be polite and tasteful about it. We do things like hold hands with our lovers right there in front of God and everybody, demand that the churches bless our unions and even expect them to ordain openly gay ministers..."