How sexual relations with multiple partners affect us? What are after effects of promiscuity?

Question

I want to know how promiscuity affects us? How it binds? What are the after affects of making many sexual partners?

Answer 1

In his 1st sermon, the Lord Buddha taught:

Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.

Therefore, the more sexual partners, which is interactions based on lust, the more suffering.

Buddhism teaches to relate to people with non-harming (ahimsa), loving-kindness (metta) & compassion (karuna). Therefore, there is absolutely no place in Buddhism for the recommendation or endorsement of sexual promiscuity, because sexual promiscuity is a behaviour (kamma) rooted in lust.

MN 9, which is about Right View, states:

And what is the root of the unwholesome? Greed (lust) is a root of the unwholesome; hate is a root of the unwholesome; delusion is a root of the unwholesome. This is called the root of the unwholesome.

The Dhammapada states:

Verse 202: There is no fire like lust.

In Buddhism, if a person needs to have sex due to strong natural urges, a person should establish a relationship based on loving-kindness & compassion.

In the Pali suttas, there are no teachings about how to engage in sex because all of the teachings are about how husbands & wives should behave in the more important compassionate & loving ways. For example, in AN 4.55, it is taught when a husband & wife are complete with virtue & love towards each other, they will naturally enjoy whatever sexual pleasures they desire.

In conclusion, Buddhism describes the world of promiscuity as the 'animal world', as follows:

... the world would have fallen into promiscuity, as with goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, dogs, and jackals. AN 2.9

Therefore, Buddhists that tell other people that sexual promiscuity is "OK" are teaching the path (magga) leading to animal birth (tiracchā­na­-yoni-­gamanīyā), as follows:

And what is the cause of defilements? Ignorance is the cause of defilements.

And what is the diversity in defilements? There are defilements that lead to hell, those that lead to the animal womb (tiracchā­na­yoni­gamanīyā), those that lead to the realm of the hungry shades, those that lead to the human world, those that lead to the world of the devas. This is called the diversity in defilements.

And what is the cause of kamma? Contact is the cause of kamma.

And what is the diversity in kamma? There is kamma to be experienced in hell, kamma to be experienced in the realm of common animals (tiracchā­na­yoni­ve­danīyaṃ), kamma to be experienced in the realm of the hungry shades, kamma to be experienced in the human world, kamma to be experienced in the world of the devas. This is called the diversity in kamma.

https://suttacentral.net/en/an6.63

Answer 2

Generalisations can be made for men & women.

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For men:

(i) difficulty remaining faithful in relationship due to habit of wanting other women on sight

(ii) loss of trust & being shunned in an ordinary community if becoming a habitual predator

(iii) always searching for a sex partner

(iv) unhappiness & loneliness when without a sex partner

(v) lack of virtuous development in how to care for people.

(vi) lack of morals to impart to any children

(vii) similar results to any addiction, as described in the Pali suttas, namely:

(ii) increase of quarrels,

(iii) susceptibility to disease,

(iv) earning an evil reputation,

(v) shameless exposure of body,

(vi) weakening of intellect.

(vii) he is ever thinking:

(a) where is there girls?

(b) where is there women?

(c) where is there porn?

(d) where is there sex?

(e) where is there young women?

(f) where is there mature women?

Sigalovada Sutta

Note: points (vii)(a) to (f) are an adaptation

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For women:

(i) loss of natural bonding instinct

(ii) however, often, no loss of reproductive instinct but loss of genuine love towards eventual marriage partner due to instinctual attachment to a former often first partner

(iii) loss of tolerance & strength needed to maintain a family

(iv) loss of ability to control a man (important in Matugama-samyutta)

(v) difficulty in maintaining marriage

(vi) major loss of instinctual wisdom & morality needed to bringing up children

(vii) become sexual needy & servile (rather than having natural self-control)

(viii) highly probably of needing anti-depressants when older

Pali Buddhism particularly focuses upon sexual impurity of women for such reasons. For example:

Dhammapada 242. Unchastity is the taint in a woman.

The Mātugāma Saṃyutta highlights the importance of morality in women.

In nature, the basic instincts towards moral expectations are mostly found in women. When women lose their moral compass, the world, including its men, become lost.

This is why Buddhists such as the Dalai Lama make many discrete statements about the importance of the role of women in creating a good world but few explain the truth about these matters. Most Buddhists are concerned with 'political correctness' & recruiting 'leftists' to Buddhism.

Since women are more inclined to be compassionate, their role is more important in creating a more peaceful society that the world aspires to achieve," said Dalai Lama.

Answer 3

Only the people in a marriage or in a relationship is covered by the third precept. If you use your common sense it appears multiple partners could create a lot of health problems and psychological problems perhaps monetary problems.My personal opinion is it is not a good idea.

Answer 4

I want to know how promiscuity affects us?

It can be a good effect if one is honest with everyone involved (and they agree) and not doing it from greed. If you are breaking a contract (marriage or a monogamous relationship) then of course this will have a bad effect because you are lying and doing it through greed not natural love inclination. Also, even if you are honest and everyone is OK and you are doing it from greed, from a strictly Buddhist point of view it is bad.

How it binds?

It does not bind... nothing has a binding effect except you yourself.

What are the after affects of making many sexual partners?

Possible STDs, complicated life, and also self-exhaustion and no transmutation of jing to chi of energies... lots of effects.

Answer 5

I personally don't care a hoot what religion says about sex. It has no place in my love life. You only need to look to the rampant hypocrisy within Christianity/Catholicism to realise that the ones moralising about sex don't practice what they preach. My view is enjoy it while you can but be cautious and stay as safe as possible. I've had countless casual encounters over my life and I don't regret any of them.