Buddhist advice for beating sexual addiction?

What would the buddha say about one whose mind is too centered on sex? How would he say to help find more of a way to enjoy it in moderation without letting it control your life?

I R a buddha fan, though don't know what buddha would say, but this story seems to me to be like something he would say.

A Sufi teaching tells of the man who visited a great mystic to find out how to let go of his chains of attachment and his prejudices.
Instead of answering him directly, the mystic jumped to his feet and bolted to a nearby pillar, flung his arms around it,
grasping the marble surface as he screamed, "Save me from this pillar! Save me from this pillar!"
The man who had asked the question could not believe what he saw. He thought the mystic was mad.
"Why are you doing that?" the man asked, "I came to you to ask a spiritual question because I thought you were wise,
but obviously you're crazy. You are holding the pillar, the pillar is not holding you. You can simply let go."
The mystic let go of the pillar and said to the man, "If you can understand that, you have your answer.
Your chains of attachment are not holding you, you are holding them. You can simply let go."

Originally Posted by Alternate Carpark

I R a buddha fan, though don't know what buddha would say, but this story seems to me to be like something he would say.

A Sufi teaching tells of the man who visited a great mystic to find out how to let go of his chains of attachment and his prejudices.
Instead of answering him directly, the mystic jumped to his feet and bolted to a nearby pillar, flung his arms around it,
grasping the marble surface as he screamed, "Save me from this pillar! Save me from this pillar!"
The man who had asked the question could not believe what he saw. He thought the mystic was mad.
"Why are you doing that?" the man asked, "I came to you to ask a spiritual question because I thought you were wise,
but obviously you're crazy. You are holding the pillar, the pillar is not holding you. You can simply let go."
The mystic let go of the pillar and said to the man, "If you can understand that, you have your answer.
Your chains of attachment are not holding you, you are holding them. You can simply let go."

LOL How simple was that??? Thanks for the story A.C.

The trouble is that many pillars have little hooks on their surface and once one embraces the pillar the clothes stick to it like velcro.

Then the only way is to undress and walk away naked and that is not going to help much with this particular problem, on the contrary.

It makes sense to Shabby( and very much to me when I first come across the story) and not to you.
Each person decides what makes sense, what is helpful.

The simple, clear and precise message in this story has enabled me to profoundly change how i conduct myself on my transformation journey.

For those interested I found this on accesstoinsight.org -

Udana 7.4 - Kamesu Satta Sutta: Attached to Sensual Pleasures

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now at that time, most of the people in Savatthi were excessively attached to sensuality. They lived delighting in, addicted to, infatuated with, fastened to, absorbed in sensuality. Then early in the morning the Blessed One, having put on his robes and carrying his bowl and outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. He saw that most of the people in Savatthi were excessively attached to sensuality, that they live delighting in, addicted to, infatuated with, fastened to, absorbed in sensuality.

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:


Blinded by sensuality
covered by the net,
veiled with the veil of craving,
bound by the bond of heedlessness,
like fish in the mouth of a trap,
they go to aging & death,
like a suckling calf to its mother.

My advice is this: eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full.

You cannot force yourself to stop craving sex. You cannot force yourself to let go. Give into it completely, really let yourself desire. Enjoy yourself thoroughly, and then when you have had enough, go and do something else.

If you can't stop its because you feel like you should not be desiring and are resisting your desire, or as a means of escape from something such as boredom, anxiety, loneliness, or otherwise. Fighting against the desire is a strategy that will almost inevitably fail.

[CSEe]

Originally Posted by Aesop

What would the buddha say about one whose mind is too centered on sex? How would he say to help find more of a way to enjoy it in moderation without letting it control your life?

Buddhism is a process to search , to experience , to know , understand , explore , discover OWNSELF by being awake by own realization leading to own acceptance .
One is always FREE to act , free to re-act , free to enjoy and free to suffer as one suffering is only caused by own action or re-action .

If someone to focus on sex or addiction of any act is always their choice , their action as all their action or re-action is part of their own learning process to know themself .

There is NO ADVISE from Buddhism point of view just act and learn and suffer from own action
Thks
CSEe