India has no religion per se. From time immemorial, there were spiritual seekers. Vedas were considered revelations to people at random at different time periods and collected by Vyasa. Buddha, Tirthangara, acharyas and mystics pour eternal knowledge to earthlings. These channels are suggestions or paths. You have the freedom to select one or many such revelations. For example, Sikhism is an example of integration between various spiritual thoughts. So are modern Jains. Hindus are an amalgamation of various ideas and paths. Essentially, Truth is a pathless land where people walk from many directions. Seekers keep seeking and new paths emerge constantly. Hence, religion in India is at most a way of life.

Natural religions don't deny sex which is pivotal for living. Indians integrated it beautifully in their spiritual path. Tantra is a path where sex is considered a flow of Kundalini, a primordial bioenergy. Tantric techniques uniquely combine yoga for a union. The spirit that resides in a body wants to get back to its roots. Sex is indeed a home coming. Sex is an act of two becoming one and the two disappear, at least momentarily.

In reality, there are approaches that deny sexual pleasure and seek asceticism. Hinduism has those elements as well. The path of Siva annihilates sensual pleasures. The story is that Siva has burnt the Cupid (Maran or Manmatha) for once to get rid of all desires. Buddha escaped out of its clutches as well. Tirthangara considered the body as an impediment to realize the ultimate truth. Females will never attain liberation because they are a source of human pleasure.

Interestingly,...