Why Sensual Pleasure Creates Happiness and Deep Satisfaction
Nov 04, 2025
"Here in this body are the sacred rivers
Here are the sun and the moon
As well as all the pilgrimage places
I have not encountered another temple
As blissful as my own body" - Saraha Doha
The Body is Divine
Part of the work of Tantra is to honour each sense as a gateway into expanded consciousness. We regard the body as a temple, a portal of life. There is a famous quote by the Zen Master Hakuin which sums up the Tantra approach to the body:
“This very place the lotus paradise, this very body the Buddha.”
When moving on the spiritual path, it is always wise to begin with the body for it is through the body that we first experiences bliss and ecstasy. For example; raw orgasmic ecstasy is a gift offered by nature. It would be a crime to ignore it or to cast it aside. We have much to learn from our sensorial experience of life.
Human beings naturally gravitate towards sensual pleasure. When we can be in total let go with our pleasure states we are naturally very present and in the moment. Time and mind disappear and there is only THIS. Being in the moment is synonymous with eternity because it is beyond time. The senses are the doors and windows leading us to Godliness beyond time and mind.
Paulo Coelho says in his book Brida: “When you have sex, take with you to bed only love and senses, all 5 of them. Only then will you experience communion with god.”
Your body is always in the present moment and it is only mind that wanders into past and future, both of which are illusory. Therefore, your body is the greatest teacher for coming back into present moment consciousness. All spiritual teachers agree on one point, the power of now for opening the door to spiritual awakening. In the present moment our soul can breathe and open its wings. All wisdom states are born in the now. The more we access the here and now, the wiser we become.
Any physical experience can be used as a jumping board into present moment awareness. And what better way to reach such a state than through pleasure? The phenomenon of pleasure is powerfully attractive to human beings. We search for pleasure in so many ways, whether through eating and drinking, smelling, touch and connection, seeing beauty or being bathed in sound. We crave pleasure! It is literally an invitation given by God to realise eternity through this present moment experience.
Creating Paradise on Earth
The more we embrace our senses, the more of a paradise we will create on earth. This is a natural outcome of becoming more sensitive. Sensitive people want to care for their bodies, care for animals and the environment. People who are cut off from their senses will have more of a tendency to be violent or uncaring towards themselves, towards others and the earth.
It takes courage to become more and more sensitive, to the point where our sixth sense capacity is awakened. It is a hero’s journey to open up and dissolve the armor, which has been donned as protection from being wounded. One day, as we discover our great capacity for sensitivity, we dare to become naked under the open sky.
Omni Presence Through Sensory Experiences
Each sense has the capacity to offer us satori, spiritual awakening. Behind every sense, is a hidden sense, which is revealed to us as we dive deeply into that sensorial experience with awareness. Behind the outer eyes is the third eye, through which clairvoyance is awakened.
Hidden inside the two ears, is the third ear, through which we can awaken clairaudience. And deep inside the sense of feeling and touch, is hidden clairsentience. If we explore the sense of smell and taste, our olfactory ability is awakened to such an extent, that we can begin experiencing the ability to smell truth or untruth, and our discernment as to what is good for us or what is not serving our best interests becomes very pronounced. When all senses are vividly aware, we discover the phenomenon of ‘omni-presence.’
A wonderful Shiva Sutra from the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra says:
“When vividly aware through some particular sense, keep in the awareness.”
Osho’s comment on this sutra is:
“If you can look through the senses and remain alert, the world will by and by appear to you as illusory, dreamlike, and you will be able to penetrate to the substance, to the very substance of it. That substance is the Brahma.”
Sensorial Orientation
Each person usually has one or two senses, which are their main gateway to the world. For example, one person may be more developed with the auditory sense, while another may enjoy the visual. In general, our educational system rewards people who are visual or auditory and condemns those who are more kinesthetic (feeling types). Smelling and tasting is not even discussed as part of a school curriculum (unless it is a Steiner school, of course!). This attitude side-lines a great many kids, not offering them the opportunity to develop their innate talents
In the ‘Accelerated Learning’ method, it has been found that if children are taught with five sense learning then there are no laggards in the classroom. Each child can excel when teaching is done correctly with the 5-sense learning approach. As adults, some people carry wounding around education, simply because their particular sensorial doorway was not honoured in the educational system.
When we embark on a journey of meditation through the senses, it is a very pleasurable way to open up our fuller potential as human beings. We discover new avenues of creativity within ourselves, giving rise to boundless enthusiasm and joy. Life takes on more sparkle and a deeper resonance. We are embraced by bliss, and find our taste and smell acting as a homing device, leading us where we are meant to be.
- If you are more visually oriented, you represent about 60% of the population. Your world will have a tendency to be all about colour, form, light and dark, radiant or dull.
- If you are more oriented towards auditory (hearing), you represent about 20% of the population. You will be sensitive to sound or silence, the tone of a voice, and sense the intention behind the words.
- If you are more of a kinesthetic type of person, you represent 15% of the population. You are open to emotional expression, and crave regular touch and physical contact with life, whether that be your lover, friends, trees or the sensual feel of a fabric.
- If you are an olfactive type of person, you represent about 4% of people. Life to you may be a kitchen, or a garden full of herbs, or the scent of essential oils. You will want to discover the right partner through how they smell or taste.
- And lastly, if you are a conceptual type of person, you represent 1% of the population. A conceptual person has no sensory awareness, but rather operates solely through his or her mind. All of life is a concept, such as the phrase, “I think I love you.”
Of course, we all have our five senses in operation. But we are each unique in our orientation and how we place importance on one or the other of our senses. We can go through a process of awakening the five senses, and this gives rise to what is known as the sixth sense, or intuitive abilities.
Joy is Our Natural State
When energy is moving in our body and in our senses, joy is our natural state. The opening up of sensual aliveness happens by being very present with our awareness in each sense.
In Tantra there are many methods to support the sensorial awakening process. Following this path, our body and our life becomes the Guru. Listen to the singing of the birds and allow this sound to permeate your every cell. Become absolutely present with the sensation of a caress. Look at a flower till you sense you have become this flower. Close your eyes while eating and taste as if for the first time. Exploring in this way you discover the world is divine. This body is divine. You are divine.
FAQ
What is the meaning of sensual pleasure?
Sensual pleasure refers to the deep satisfaction we feel when our physical senses are fully alive in the present moment. It is the joy of being so present with a physical experience that time seems to dissolve. This kind of pleasure is not limited to sex or the act of desire, but flows through the body when we taste, smell, touch, see, or hear with awareness. When explored as a pleasure practice, sensual pleasure becomes more than gratification. It turns into a path that helps us overcome craving and suffering and discover a kind of liberation that comes from living fully in the body.
What are the five sensual pleasures?
The five sensual pleasures arise through the senses, sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Each one invites us to experience life in a way that is both simple and profound. To look at beauty in nature, to hear music or the voice of a lover, to taste food that nourishes, to feel the warmth of skin against skin, or to breathe in the fragrance of earth are all examples of how sensual experiences draw us closer to reality. When approached with focus and awareness, these pleasures become a practice that connects us to the noble path, allowing us to explore desire without being consumed by it, and to find joy that supports both freedom and wisdom.
What does being sensual mean?
Being sensual means allowing yourself to discover the fullness of life through your physical senses and to embrace the present moment as the true ground of reality. Sensuality is not necessarily sexual, though it can be expressed through sex. It is about opening to physical sensations, feelings, visualisations, sounds and silence, tastes and scents without fear or shame. To be sensual is to explore the body and the external world with curiosity, to play with desire and delight, and to recognize that the ability to sense into pleasure and aliveness is a gift. Living this way brings a deep sense of happiness, compassion, and connection, because through the body we remember that joy is our natural state.
