Thursday, October 1, 2009

Stuff That Would Bore My Sisters, 12


Sorry, Sisters, but you knew I would get back to you sooner or later. The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra, edited by Lance Dane, is turning out to be one of the most helpful books I've ever read. No, I am not encouraging you to become courtesans, but to learn another perspective on the relationships between men and women and possible interactions with other members of society. Okay, that does not sound right either. I guess, ladies, I am trying to say that the best offense is a good defense. Or at least that is the best place to start.

For this post, I am not going to quote any of the sex stuff, although that is more than interesting. Instead, I chose a paragraph that speaks of the higher thinking that underlies the material and sexual aspects of society. My understanding of the word pleasure, taken in the context of the full paragraph, means a way of life that is pleasurable and has more than a mere sexual connotation.

"A citizen discoursing, neither entirely in the Sanskrit language, nor wholly in the dialect of the region, on various topics in society, obtains great respect. The wise should not resort to a society disliked by the public, or one not governed by any rules, and intent on the destruction of others. In fact a learned man living in a society which acts according to the wishes of the people and which has pleasure as its only object, is highly respected in this world."



2 comments:

  1. I love the philosophy in Kama-sutra...it's so under-appreciated, that work...it's not all just sex positions :)

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  2. Thank you for the comment, Braja. I hoped others would have the same appreciation. =)

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