Pornography

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. - Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 5

A master has said, "He who beholds a beautiful woman should say, 'Blessed be He who hath created such in His universe.'" But is even mere looking permitted? The following can surely be raised as an objection: "Thou shalt keep from every evil thing" [Deuteronomy 23.10] implies that one should not look intently at a beautiful woman, even if she be unmarried, nor at a married woman, even if she be ugly... - Judaism. Talmud, Aboda Zara 20ab

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! God is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers... or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto God together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed. - Islam. Qur'an 24.30-32

We find that to every sin God is long-suffering, except to the sin of unchastity. Rabbi Azariah said, "All things can God overlook save lewdness." - Judaism. Midrash, Leviticus Rabbah 23.9

Sivananda: Sex, Beauty, and Imagination

Sex is the distinction between male and female. It is a mental creation. It is a Kalpana or imagination. There is no sex in the five elements of which the body is composed. The human body is nothing but a combination of the five elements. How, then, has the sex idea come? The sex idea is illusory. It is a trick of the mind. It is jugglery of Maya. It is a notion. The sex-idea is deep-rooted. Man can never think that he is a female. A female can never think that she is a male. For a liberated sage, this world is full of Brahman only. For a passionate man, this world is full of woman. He falls in love with a wooden post if it is wrapped in a silken gown or a beautiful cloth with attractive borders and a petticoat. Passion is a terrible curse. When a man is under the influence of passion, excitement and the sex impulse or force destroy his understanding and reason, overwhelm his mind and make him utterly helpless. A householder who has rightly understood the magnitude of the sufferings of...

Zohar: Desiring Others

393. "You shall not uncover the nakedness of mother and daughter" (Vayikra 18:17). We have learned that these kinds of sexual misconduct are among the laws of the Queen, even though they are both revealed and hidden. There are listed "her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter" (Ibid.), for the world needs them to populate the world, as we have learned. One who reveals one nakedness of these, woe to him and woe to his soul, as because of this he will uncover other nakednesses. 394. We have learned the last statement of the Ten Commandments of the Torah, reads, "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife" (Shemot 20:14), as this generally represents the whole of them. He who covets another woman is considered transgressing the entire Torah. However, nothing stands before repentance, all the more so if he is willing to accept upon himself his penalty like King David. Rabbi Yosi said: We have learned that repentance does much good to whoever has sinned and then parted from the...

Zohar: Looking at Beauty

We learned that the beauty of Adam came from the glow of the supernal knot of the brightness that shines, being the secret of the glow of Aba, since he had a Neshamah of the Neshamah of Aba of Atzilut. The beauty of Eve was such that no creature could look at her, since her Neshamah of Neshamah of Ima of Atzilut. Even Adam did not look at her until the time they sinned and their beauty was removed. Only then could Adam look at her and recognize her for the purpose of mating. This is the essence of the verse, "And Adam knew his wife again" (Genesis 4:25). He knew her in everything; he knew her through mating, that is, "knew," in that he recognized her and saw her. We learned that is it prohibited for a man to look at the beauty of a woman to prevent him from acquiring bad thoughts and being torn into...