In this lengthy talk, Dr. Ben Joffe dives into the theory, practice and scholarship of coitus reservatus as a Tantric religious discipline.

Dr. Joffe translated a book on coitus reservatus by Tibetan Buddhist master Nida Chenagtsang. Its title is Karmamudra: The Yoga of Bliss: Sexuality in Tibetan Medicine and Buddhism.

This particular segment addresses how the broad tent of Tibetan Buddhism has room for every serious spiritual seeker. Regardless of gender, sex or orientation the tradition offers useful disciplines and insights.

The goal and path

There exist many, often contradictory, Tibetan Buddhist teachings about sexual discipline. Essentially the Tibetan sexual-retention practice is related to achieving bliss and then learning to perceive its “emptiness.” Thus practitioners sometimes master sexual self-discipline in order to sustain sexual bliss long enough to perceive its “emptiness.”

Dr. Joffe describes karmamudra (sex without ejaculation) as a demanding path that might work for some. A partner is not essential because the practitioner can imagine one.