Non-Buddhism

By Henry Blanke

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. —William Blake

BDSM can be seen as a form of erotic theater in which participants play roles (usually dominant and submissive) and enact “scenes” involving sexual practices including bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. A variety of erotic clothing and lingerie are often used as well as implements including floggers, paddles, whips, restraints, hand cuffs, nipple clamps, gags and more. Many of those engaged in these practices see it as way to play out sexual power dynamics in safe and controlled environment. Some find it cathartic. Here I will discuss those aspects of BDSM which involve erotically induced altered states of consciousness.

The altered state called “subspace” has been discussed in both academic literature and experiential accounts. While in subspace the submissive may become disoriented in terms of time and space and many report a euphoric sense of floating. Sensations of pleasure and pain intertwine synergistically. Endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and other brain chemicals come into play. During these times it is imperative that the dominate be attuned to what their partner is experiencing and exercise the utmost care for their well-being. In some ways subspace can be likened to certain psychedelic drug states or extreme meditational experiences. Less commented on are the alterations in consciousness experienced by the dominant. Now I will provide a brief but suggestive phenomenological account of my experience as a BDSM dominant.

During a scene with R. who plays the submissive role I sometimes experience what might be called Domspace. I feel strong sexual arousal and surges of adrenaline. But this seems to be channeled into a hyper-aware focus on my actions. My surround may fall away so that my attentional scope is largely limited to R. and the activity.  I am well-practice in flogging and the variations in pace and intensity necessary to provide R. with an optimal experience seem to come without thought or effort. I feel deeply attuned to her feelings of pain and pleasure and to the minute gradations by which they merge. My voice becomes low and calm and the erotic phrases I say come spontaneously but have great resonance with R. and enhance her experience. I vary and time my actions (slapping and spanking her, pulling her hair, fondling her vagina and ass, pulling, pinching and twisting her nipples) so that they elicit various whimpers, moans, grunts and screams. I have a strong inter-subjective sense of when R. is entering, peaking and plateauing in subspace. I can anticipate her desires and after I feel a bit of the euphoric floating she has described to me. But she feels it during a scene and for me it is sublimated or channeled until after so that I can focus on her.

Of course, every submissive is different in terms of their fantasies, roles they wish to play, and the degree of intensity they desire. For some sensory deprivation via blindfolds and such adds to the excitement. Others crave humiliation. It is necessary and beneficial to plan a scene in advance but a skilled dominant will adjust and improvise moment to moment so that the submissive never quite knows what is coming next. And safe words are essential so that the submissive partner can immediately signal to the dominant if they experience more pain than they can tolerate. But since a person in subspace may be so disoriented and the flood of endorphins so great that they may not be aware of when a pain threshold has been reached, the dominant must be acutely aware and focused on what is happening.

This is why the one crucial and indispensable factor in BDSM play is trust. R. and I have an ongoing and intimate relationship so that she trusts that I will always have her well-being and pleasure acutely in mind. Over time I have learned just how and how far to push her boundaries (the envelope of desire) which open new and thrilling psycho-sexual avenues of exploration and lines of flight. She has told me that during the heights of her stages of altered consciousness and arousal I could almost have done anything with her. This is an awesome responsibility which I take with the utmost seriousness. After a particularly powerful scene we will discuss each element in an almost contemplative way.

I think that my experience of domspace is very similar to the psychological flow state of being completely absorbed in an activity so that time slows, attention is sharply focused and optimal functioning is achieved with a deep feeling of ease and pleasure. I am reminded of Dogen saying that zazen is the dharma gate of joy and ease. Indeed it is very similar to my experience of shikantaza when random thoughts come and go, but my attention remains on posture, breath and the mind itself becomes the object of meditation. And it is similar to those times when I am fully immersed in cooking or listening to music. Domspace is an altered state of consciousness and it is almost mystical.

I also believe that it is not too much of a stretch to say that the empathetic care and concern for R.’s well-being which she says I show (and proper after-care is especially important in a Dom/sub relationship) both during and after one of our BDSM scenes may be a taste of the compassion which is so central to Buddhism. As in Tantrism, the transgression of social norms and psycho-sexual experimentation in a disciplined and ritualized context can lead to a shattering and ego dissolving euphoria and bliss. BDSM practices represent an aesthetic refinement of sex and hierarchy of pleasure that is rare in the West, but is organic to the traditional cultures of parts of India, Nepal and Bhutan and other areas of Tantric culture. But is must be taken seriously in the fashion of a disciplined erotic eudaemonism. It is no good to have the orgy without the chef’s work.

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Henry Blanke is a Soto Zen Buddhist and Marxian socialist. He had a nearly 30 year career as a Bataille inspired academic librarian and now counsels those struggling with substance abuse. He has written on Herbert Marcuse, the politics of information and most recently on the possible intersections between Zen practice and socialism. He lives in New York City and fancies himself a bohemian cosmopolite, a flaneur and a passionate jazz lover, poet, and home cook. See also, “A Thought Experiment for X-Buddhists,” “Keep It Simple, Stupid,” and “Han Pira Roshi.”

Note from GW: As I read Henry’s piece, Georges Bataille kept waving his hand, yelling, “hey call on me!” And he does, indeed, have good deal to say about the themes that Henry brings up here. Interested readers can have a look at Jeremy Biles & Kent Brintnall, Negative Ecstasies: Georges Bataille and the Study of Religion, from Fordham’s Perspectives in Continental Philosophy series. For a quicker look, here’s “Georges Bataille’s Experience,” which is a play on Bataille’s controversial (of course!) book on mysticism and “spirituality,” Inner Experience.