The power that is contained in sexual desire is equivalent in the human being of a tremendous oil well. It might seem perplexing to think of desire as fuel, but think of what great lengths we will go to in order to satisfy our desires...Sex is a storehouse of power. It is our wealth. Strong sexual urges are natural, but they can be trained-and they must be.
The sex drive is the "crude-oil" of consciousness. Refined, it can take us all the way to the goal of life. It is so raw and powerful that it seems unfair that we should have to master it. But only a power of this magnitude will carry us to the summit of consciousness. It is said in Hindu scriptures that when the sex faculty comes under complete control, all the vitality that has been consolidated travels through the physical system nourishing the vital organs, strengthening the immune system, and prolonging creativityinto the very twilight of life.
We seem to have grown in most aspects of our development, but not in our understanding of sex - the media has a greatdeal to do with this immaturity where sex is concerned and it seems to be the teenagers who are the target. They are so vulnerable, and in adolescence attitudes are formed that may stay with a person for life.
To give sex a place in a lasting, loving relationship requires enormous maturity, which even many adults do not have. It requires rare sensitivity, self -forgetfulness, and attention to the other person's needs.
Finally, Easwaran goes on to say that in the final stage of romantic love, you come to have a loving relationship with every creature - you may realize that that sexual desire was reallythe yearning for unity-unity with one person to begin with, but ultimately with all of life.
Eknath Easwaran - Seeing With the Eyes of Love