Craving Sensual Pleasure
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One of the causes of our suffering according to Buddhism is our craving for sensual pleasure. I can see this in a way. Wanting something bad enough takes you away from the moment and can hurt others if we are not careful. But you can't just not want sensual pleasures. Those desires don't just go away because you want them to.
So how does one respond to the cravings of the sexual nature. Being a teenager, one especially has to deal with these more intensely one way or another.
Now I used to have a very guilty counscious on these matters. In my early teens, such thoughts would arise in my mind and I would try to repress them with prayer to God to keep the Devil at bay. Well, eventually, I gave up on that and realized that repression never worked. So I gave in to the thoughts and acted out on them, (by myself I mean:tongue2: ) lost my faith eventually, and am a much calmer person being able to fullfill certain sensual desires. And yes I would say that I am attached to it. I don't see the problem in it. It boosts happiness and self-esteem and does not cause suffering. I know in a way it is like living in a fantasy world and ignoring reality, but there are really no negative side effects of 'giving in'. I abstained from it for a while back in the summer to see the affects, and found myself more agitated, angrier, and emotionally fragile. When I ended that scharade, my sense of happiness and calm returned.
So how does one find a middle way on sexual thoughts? My personal acts pertaining to this might dwell slightly in the excess, but if it doesn't hurt myself or others, nothing is really lost. Thoughts???