Do you need to abstain from pleasurable activities like sex or food in order to reach enlightenment?
No, you do not need to abstain from pleasurable activities like sex or food to reach enlightenment. We explicitly state that the idea that renunciation is necessary for “spiritual evolution” is nonsense.
Forcing yourself to give up things like sex, delicious food, video games, or entertainment does not bring you closer to realization. When you use effort to abstain from pleasurable things, you are merely pretending that you do not want them, while deep down you still do.
Furthermore, this forced abstinence is a trap that creates a new, unhealthy attachment. By trying to prove that you are not attached to sensory pleasures, you become deeply attached to the idea of “non-attachment”. The only real reason to forcefully give up pleasurable activities is to boost your own ego, allowing you to tell yourself that you are more “spiritual” or “holy” than other people. In doing so, you lose real, enjoyable experiences just to acquire a fake “spiritual” identity.
The beginning of and modus operandi of spiritual awakening and practical enlightenement is sense control or as Bhagavad-gita 2.59 says, "though the taste for sense enjoyment remains, but ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness". It is simply a matter of refocusing the senses; instead of reading sensuous romance novels, one rather reads the scriptures. No pain, no gain. One has to give something up to get something.
The beginning of and modus operandi of spiritual awakening and practical enlightenement is sense control or as Bhagavad-gita 2.59 says, "though the taste for sense enjoyment remains, but ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness". It is simply a matter of refocusing the senses; instead of reading sensuous romance novels, one rather reads the scriptures. No pain, no gain. One has to give something up to get something.