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Winter 2013  

 
 
 

THE CELIBACY QUESTION

 

Interviews on the question of celibacy in the various eastern and western spiritual traditions. (December 2013 through December 2014)

 

 

 
 

7. SHAWN NEVINS

 

 

Shawn Nevins began his spiritual search in 1990, a search that culminated in a final Realization in 1999 as he was reading Franklin Merrell-Wolff's paper entitled The Induction. His creative endeavors include the book The Celibate Seeker and the film Closer Than Close—an acclaimed documentary on Self-realization. Shawn is also the co-author of Images of Essence, and his poems have appeared in Meridian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, Sacred Journey, and Poetry Chaikhana. Presently, Shawn is involved in numerous outreach activities for seekers through the TAT Foundation. More information: Poetry in Motion Films.

 

 

 www.spiritualteachers.org

 

 

 

 

INTERVIEW

 

 

Was your teacher (Richard Rose) celibate by the way?

 

Shawn Nevins: At times.  He used to say that the seven years he spent celibate before his enlightenment was the most beautiful time of his life.  Afterwards, I got the impression he would be celibate for periods of time. For example, when his mother was ill, I recall him saying he needed all his energy for taking care of her.


Did he also suggest to his students that they should practice this?

 

Shawn Nevins: Yes. I'd say it was a fundamental practice in his system. As in, first get your self under control and then we can talk about what's next.  I think some people came to believe that celibacy would cause enlightenment, but I never got that impression from him.  It was a tool. 

 

Did he suggest you practice this for certain amounts of time, such as days, weeks, months, years, or for even the rest of your life?

 

Shawn Nevins: No. He used to say "take a break from nature." The understanding was that there was a window of opportunity, while one was young, to harness the stored energy for making intuitive leaps. At some point, one would get married and pay nature her due. Though, when I once told him that I assumed that at some point I would stop being celibate and get married, he said I couldn't know for certain what would happen.

 

By intuitive leaps, did he mean "enlightenment", self realisation by raising and directing the energy up the spine so to speak?

 

Shawn Nevins: Enlightenment would be the goal we were after, but he said the energy conserved could be used in a multitude of ways. In other words, a celibate poker player would get intuitions about the card game rather than the nature of the self, an athlete would improve their performance, etc.

 

So when you began to practice this, did anything change about you in any way?

 

Shawn Nevins: I can best express it by saying life was simplified. I did not find an enormous increase in energy, or develop any special powers. Celibacy allowed me to increase my focus on the spiritual search. Perhaps I could claim my concentration and focus were enhanced, but that may just have been a result of my fascination with the topic (self inquiry/self knowledge).

My situation was unique, though everyone's is (which is why Rose would not give advice in public about celibacy; he said each person's approach would be different). However, mine might be more unique than most. I have a pituitary tumor, which for years threw my hormones out of balance. I had no idea what I was laboring under, till medication finally sorted it out. Party because of this, I wanted to learn about others' experiences with celibacy, and that's what drove me to write The Celibate Seeker.

 

After your own experience with this, as well as writing this book and finding out about others experiences with this, would you suggest this as a practice?

 

Shawn Nevins: I would definitely encourage people to give it a try. There is a long history supporting the use of celibacy as a tool in spiritual endeavors. An honest effort and willingness to see what is possible is all that is needed. It won't appeal to everyone, but if you get a small, internal nudge from your intuition that this might be useful, I'm here to say, "follow that feeling. It is worth exploring."

 

Do you feel that it’s possible to be enlightened and still be sexually active?

 

Shawn Nevins: It's possible to be enlightened and put a bullet in somebody, so sure, it's possible to be sexually active and enlightened. I think a more interesting question is, "Is it possible to be sexually obsessed and be enlightened?"

 

Yes, great question!  Do you believe that there are stages to enlightenment?

 

Shawn Nevins: I think there are different events that settle a person's soul. One person may "find Jesus" while another sees some cosmic order to the universe, another experiences oneness with all creation, etc. Rather than say there is a pecking order, I say find the answer that settles your soul.

There might be many steps that lead someone to the edge of a cliff, but none of them equate to stepping off the cliff. In that sense, there are no stages to enlightenment. It is all or nothing. Of course, how it manifests in one's life is as varied as we are.

 

What is your view on this 10 fetters model to enlightenment? Have you seen this?

 
  1. Belief in a self 
  2. Doubt or uncertainty, especially about the teachings
  3. Attachment to rites and rituals
  4. Sensual desire 
  5. Ill will
  6. Lust for material existence, lust for material rebirth
  7. Lust for immaterial existence, lust for rebirth in a formless realm
  8. Conceit
  9. Restlessness 
  10. Ignorance

Shawn Nevins: I’ve seen these before, and wondered if something was lost in the translation. Because, for me, taking care of #1 on the list takes care of all the rest. I see the belief in the self as the root of all suffering.

Numbers 2 through 9 are all things that happen to a self! Without a self, they may still happen, but happen to an imaginary being. After #1, who is there to work on #2?

Which is not to say that a person who has seen through the illusion of self, might take a public speaking class, or try to be a more thoughtful friend, or switch to a vegan diet, etc. In other words, they may change, but the change doesn't carry the desperate, hungry quality it carries in so many others who cling to their identity.

As to Dr. Sovatsky's questions, I do not see sexual transcendence as a symptom or sine qua non of enlightenment.  Again, I see it as a tool or practice – useful for a while, perhaps causing great change, and likely at some point to be replaced by something else. 

 

Modern non-dualism has not created "something new," as in some new stage of evolution.  If anything, modern non-dualism has created something old – meaning a religion, which is, signified more by people living a belief system, rather than discovering the truth for themselves.  Though I will say, by hammering home the immediacy of the experience, it's availability Now; modern non-dualism has provided some benefit. 

 

How many people did you interview for The Celibate-Seeker by the way?

 

Shawn Nevins: I believe the data set is 17 people; 18 if you include me.

 

So over all, what would you say your findings were? Is there anything that stood out in your mind about these people that you interviewed?

 

Shawn Nevins:  Overall, the increase in mental clarity is what stands out in my mind as a generally agreed upon benefit of celibacy. Of course, one won't get that benefit if they approach celibacy as some kind of test of righteousness, or they berate themselves -- in short, if a lot of value judgments get heaped upon the experiment. The mental clarity is accompanied by, or perhaps a result of, an increase in intuition. And it is the intuition, which ultimately is our guide to the discovery of who we really are.

 

 

 

END OF INTERVIEW