Q. Why are you celibate?

A. Initiated members of the Hare Krishna movement who are not married follow a vow of complete abstinence from sex. Initiated married members are allowed sex for procreation.

The soul is a spiritual being encased in a material body. The material body has desires that have nothing to do with the soul, nor does fulfilling those desires satisfy the soul. Additionally, the goal of life is to transcend the body and the material world. Sex binds one’s consciousness to the body, its pleasures, and the material world, life after life. And since human life is meant for liberating souls out of this world, dealing with sex and attraction to sex is crucial.

Celibacy allows serious spiritual practitioners freedom to focus all their energy on the practices of Bhakti, avoiding the illusory distractions and attractions of the temporary world.