A life of celibacy; Buddhism and SexBuddhism, perhaps the most tolerant religion in the world, constitutes teachings that can coexist with almost any other religion. Buddhism began with Siddhartha Gautama who lived in northern India in the sixth or fifth century BCE. The religion has guidelines in two forms that Buddhist followers must follow. These are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Buddha taught that man is the slave of his ego and that the cause of suffering is desire. The way to end suffering is essentially to overcome desire. Buddhist views on sex are those that view it as a natural part of human life, but also something that is associated with desire. As the Buddhist path involves overcoming these urges, it also means becoming less sexually oriented. In most Buddhist traditions, devoted practitioners become celibate monks and nuns, and in traditional societies this was the only alternative to a family life. Celibacy traditionally signifies a noble, but mystifying, devotion that is difficult to understand and has been the subject of much criticism, particularly within the realm of Catholicism. But what are the origins of this tradition? This essay will present various sources of information on the subject from various traditions, with an emphasis on celibacy within Buddhism. Celibacy is a centuries-old, multi-religious practice in which men and women abstain from sexual relations due to religious vows. . But most monastic celibacy involves a demeaning and hostile attitude toward the world, life, the body, sex, and the opposite sex. Which directly conflicts with monastic and Buddhist life. Monasticism as a whole often has the reputation of being ...... middle of paper ......hy, 32 no 1 F 2004: 1-30.Farrington, Roger. “Personal identity and Buddhist philosophy: empty people.” Journal of Buddha Ethics, 11 2004. Online source Chodon, Yeshe. “Buddhism-Celibacy”. July 1, 2002. Online. FTP available: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/buddhism/93076.Silva, AL De. "Homosexuality and Theravada Buddhism" March 10, 2005. Online. FTP available: http://www.dragon-gate.com/resources/Articles/display.asp?id=89&pg=1.Trembath, Kerry. “Buddhism and homosexuality. » FTP available: http://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Archive/T/Trembath/buddhismAndHomosexualityTrembath.htmlInternet. April 2005. Available FTP: http://dictionary.reference.com/Internet. April 2005. Available FTP: http://www.globalgayz.com/g-srilanka.htmlInternet. April 2005. Available FTP: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/virtue/SVGlossary.html