Continence. Mostly this term is used in connection with abstention from physical relations. I, for example, as well as being an aachaarya (spiritual teacher), am brahmacharini, single marital status and celibate. It is a choice, not an unavoidable condition!
What use is this knowledge to the general public, to the readers here? Well, the purpose of my A - Z offerings is to provide prompts for self-improvement. Brahmacharya, whilst it can be taken for the purely physical aspect of sexual restraint, is also to be taken at the philosophical level. Self-discipline. This means that we must consider all the potential for distraction and impurity in our lives. A clear and conspicuous example might be language. If our words are unclean, then our minds certainly are. Brahmacharya cannot be applied if our minds are not resolved to continence also.
It would be obvious, given its meaning, that to watch or listen to porn would be an absolute no-no. It would be fair to assume that the majority of readers here would not go there anyway. However, consider this… zombies, snuff-movies, other horror genres, movies and shows in which the language and behaviour are of the gutter… all of these assault and demean us as much as any brazen sexual act. Certain types of music aggravate us - even if we think we like the stuff, it is polluting us. A great many of the popular television and films now would not be considered fit for one who wishes to embrace brahmacharya. They appeal to the baser nature, to the animalistic part of our being. Something, once seen, cannot be unseen. It is, therefore, a pollutant. Impurity is the result. We have to work harder to scrub it away.
The goal of any self-improvement is to have full health and well-being and to be able to sit well in society. We can do all the running, weight-lifting, dietary control and so on, but ultimately, if we are taking in only junk food and mind-altering drinks and substances, at best all we are doing is keeping status quo. What determines whether all that effort will hold and whether we are generally decent folk, is the state of our mind. If we cannot be continent in our thinking, nothing we physically do will fix us. Virtually everything which will take us to good physical health, and bring us to the best we can be, begins at thought-level.
Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of Singularity is all about learning how to overcome our inner hurdles, deal with the monkey mind and improve our intellectual power. This is achieved best through the application of brahmacharya.
This is not novel. It is not restricted to we who chose to walk a spiritual path. Here's the thing… self-control and discipline are essential aspects of any walk of life where one wishes to attain high goals. One may be married, but can still apply this principle. Do not be wanton. Understand purpose. The desire for a better you, deeply felt, will spark the process of brahmacharya.
