Sex Talk with JoJo Bear: Interview with William Schindler

JoJo Bear
Nov 30, 2017
4 min read

I had a moment to ask some questions to William Schindler; author, artist and spiritual teacher. I actually met William at the Hollywood Vedanta temple over 10 years ago but would see him around Los Angeles when I lived there. I have always been a fan of him and his book "GAY TANTRA". Here's some of our talk.

JB: William tell us a little about yourself?

WS:I grew up in Southern California, and I’ve lived in Orange, L.A., S.F., and two plus years in India, one year as a student and one as a monk. My father used to take me to Ananda Ashram in La Crescenta when I was a child, though I developed my own interest in Hindu philosophy later. I earned a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in Sanskrit and an M.A. in clinical psychology from Antioch University. I studied Hindi at the university of Chicago and at Banaras Hindu University, and I also learned Bengali at Berkeley. I hold a California secondary teaching credential in English, and I taught in a public high school for 10 years, where I started and coordinated a counseling program for youth at risk. In 2013 I took the vow of sannyasa and received the name Swami Mahavirananda, though I mostly still go by Brother William or just William.

JB: I know you are an author, tell me about some of the books you have written?

WS: My seminal work is Gay Tantra, which has just come out in a revised and expanded 2nd edition (Lulu, 2017) . It contains a systematic exposition of traditional Hindu Tantra practices adapted for gay-identified persons. There are two companion volumes, Gay Tantra in Action and Secrets of Gay Tantra, a Gay-centered Path to Enlightenment. I also published a novel, Blood of the Goddess, gay Hindu vampire holy men in love, saving the world one bite at-a-time.

JB: What is gay tantra?

WS: Gay Tantra is traditional Hindu Tantra adapted for gay-identified persons. Tantra starts with a person’s identity, who and what they think they are right now, and gently moves the aspirant from there into deeper and more-comprehensive experiences of self. What had been missing was an actual gay-centered practical application of Tantric methods. The tradition adapts itself easily to different eras and circumstances, and Tantra’s emphasis on utilizing rather than denying the senses I feel is especially relevant for gay people, who occupy bodies of a type likely to be sexually stimulating to themselves. A non-gay man who wants to avoid the distraction of women can go to a monastery, but a gay man in a monastery still showers and sleeps with his own male body. This fundamental difference requires an approach tailored to gay experiences and ways of understanding self in the world. Fortunately, we have a wonderful exemplar in Ramakrishna of a great saint with a strong homoerotic component to his personality. I discovered that the erotic not only can be used in spiritual life, but properly utilized it can greatly accelerate spiritual growth.

JB: You have an organization called Ashram West can you tell me a little more what your organization does?

WS: Ashram West, which I founded in 1997, provides spiritual instruction and counseling free of charge to seekers from all over the world who contact us through email, primarily. We have also run local classes and even a weekend retreat, but our work is mainly done online, even with local students. I also teach Sanskrit.

JB: Can you tell us a little about your connection to Vedanta and Ramakrishna?

WS: I started training to become a Hindu monk of the Ramakrishna Order when I was sixteen. I visited the Ramakrishna Monastery in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County, and from there I learned about the Vedanta Society of Southern California (VSSC). On my first visit to the Trabuco monastery I saw a life-size photograph of Ramakrishna and fell in love. That feeling only deepened over time as I learned about him and his teachings. I became a disciple of Swami Prabhavananda, the founder of the VSSC right before my first visit to India in 1972, where I met a swami of the RK Order who became an important mentor to me and platonic lover. I have written about these experiences in detail in my memoir, God’s Dog: Memories, Confessions, Dreams & Revelations of a Modern Mystic (Lulu, 2016). I had to do two separate stints in ascetic monasteries of the RK Order to realize I needed a different way of approaching spiritual life. I loved the monastery for the meditation, camaraderie, study, festivals, and routine, but ultimately I needed to worship God in a man, as my mentor taught me. Fortunately, the Tantric training I received in the monastery helped me forge a new path that other gay persons may find useful.

JB: Okay, so I have to ask, what do you find sexy about a man?

WS: Intelligence combined with heart and humility have always been sexy to me. I’m often drawn first to a man’s eyes, and a hairy body easily gets my attention. These days, though, I do not think of people in sexual terms so much. I feel more open to loving, non-sexual relationships with anyone I meet.

JB: What's ahead for you in the future?

WS: For the past year or so I’ve been searching for a permanent home for Ashram West, a house where monks and visitors may live together to practice Gay Tantra. I’ve looked all over California, and currently I’m looking at Crestline as an appealing location not too far from L.A., a quiet place among trees and near a lovely, little lake where I used to go ice skating and fishing when I was a child.

JB: How do people get in touch with you if they want to know more about the work you do?