RESIDENTOFNIBIRU - Monks district Trashiyangtse in eastern Bhutan, Buddhist kingdom located in the Himalayan Mountains, receive training in sex education. This practice is not prevalent in the state-majority countries other Buddhists in South Asia. Among monastic in the other places still vehemently opposed the inclusion of sex education in the school curriculum.
"In most of the monastery, there are monks who are not educated so that they do not understand the education of sex or topics such as masturbation, though some also do it," said the monk Choki Gyeltshen in a monastery in Thimphu gonpa was as reported by VICE World News.
As time went on, monks Choki Gyeltshen pay attention to the change of attitude among his fellow monks. “Before receiving the training, some of the monks consider masturbation a sin, but now they understand there is nothing wrong when adult males occasionally masturbate.”
Once considered the topic of shame, sex education was introduced in Buddhist monasteries throughout the country of Bhutan since 2014.
The material taught include everything concerning sex and human reproductive health: masturbation, consent sexual, menstruation, contraception and also sexually transmitted diseases.
"You may think the class will feel awkward, but the opposite happened. To my amazement we take it casually. We did not face concerns or any issues. We even joked about it," said the senior monk Lam Ngodup Dorji of Buddhist Longchenpa Center.
More than 350 head of the monastic institution and 1,500 nuns, many of whom vowed never to engage in sexual activity, is ready to share their knowledge to people who do not touchable sex education.
"Sex used to be considered bad, but right now we believe sex should be done with safe and we have to teach children about the right way rather than just call it taboo and do not provide adequate knowledge about it," said Dorji.
This Program is supported Population Fund United Nations (PFUN) in initiatives to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health in Bhutan. The training proved to be able to change people's views on sex and sexuality.
"Religious leaders need to engage in topics about sexuality because they are agents of change who is very effective in changing the behavior and attitude of the public related to sexuality," said Jigme Choden as a consultant teens, youth and gender in UNFPA.
monks learn masturbation
In the country the majority of the Buddha, monks and nuns have considerable influence in shaping the cultural beliefs and lifestyle.
"It is to them that the family rests, to perform the ritual or ask a variety of advice, not only about religion, but also in the challenges of day-to-day," continued Choden.
The Program is also aimed at addressing the sexual needs of thousands of monks and nuns are not met, many of them have no formal education. Children five years of age can already join to become monks and nuns.
"Especially in the monastic institution, they do it secretly. They won't talk about it at all, but now they feel comfortable to talk about it and ask yourself if correct action is not recommended medical. During this time they were uncomfortable and ashamed when wet dreams," said Choden.
"A monk who used to believe in [masturbation] sin, now understand this is not a shameful thing because still be a part of puberty and growth. They are given accurate information in scientific about it," he added.
Monks associate the receipt of sex education in the abbey with the Queen of Bhutan Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, who pioneered the reproductive health rights for two decades. He is actively involved religious groups as well as military and government organizations in the campaign of family planning and HIV/AIDS awareness. As a result, in the 90s, the head of the religion of Bhutan says contraception is not in conflict with the values of Buddhism. Then in 2018, the use of contraceptives increased more than two-fold in there.
The situation in Bhutan contrast with some countries other South Asia, are among the biarawannya opposed to all-out efforts of public institutions in raising awareness of the importance of sex education.
In Sri Lanka, education about sexual and reproductive health is largely built around the idea of abstinensi (the choice to not have sex). Various efforts to make the sex education as subjects of the national has faced challenges from religious and cultural.
In 2019, the Ministry of Education Sri Lanka has tried to introduce a textbook of sex education to students aged 12. Unfortunately, its circulation was withdrawn after receiving criticism from the monks. They claim his "inappropriate for children" due to discuss masturbation.
In a press conference in December 2019, educator and Buddhist monks Medagoda Abhayatiss Thera accused the textbook it is the agenda of the previous government to "damage the brain children". He urged the president to investigate the publishing of the book.
The parliamentary committee finally ordered the withdrawal of the book because it is not appropriate for children aged 12. Monks Akuretiye Nanda Thero who served as the rector of the University of That regretted the decision.
"According to my textbook that does not contain material that is inappropriate for read children," said Nanda Thero reporting from VICE World News.
"Children need to be educated about this. The material is composed of experts in their field. If you see what happens when this lesson is important for kids," said Nanda Thero, referring to the spike in cases of rape and child abuse in Bhutan.
"The challenges that arise hiding behind the lies about maintaining the culture," he added. He said in addition to the monks, ordinary people are not obliged to celibacy or avoid sexual activity. "The law governing the monk does not apply to the general public, according to the teachings of the Buddha."
Meanwhile, in Myanmar, the government plans to incorporate sex education into the curriculum of secondary schools had to be canceled after protests of the monks.
A group of nationalist Buddhists consider sex as a matter of "disgrace" and "breaking the tradition of Myanmar". In May 2020, the doctor 31 of the year in Myanmar even arrested for criticizing the monks are concerned about sex education.
Source: https://www.bacaanringan.com/2021/11/di-negara-ini-biksu-menerima-pendidikan.html
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