The Buddha maintained that the root cause of suffering is desire. Because we crave and we desire, we create problems for ourselves and we become miserable. All desires cannot be fulfilled. Some will, which will bring us momentary, fleeting joy. But soon enough, we will want something else and become discontent. And if a desire is not fulfilled, it will make us bitter, angry, disappointed. The truth is that desires are never-ending. If one desire is fulfilled, another desire is born. We are never satisfied. Our need becomes our greed. As we try to realize our desire, we unfortunately, become victims of our mind that creates stress, worry and anxiety. At times, we become so obsessed with our desire that we do everything we can to attain it, even if it means resorting to unethical means. While chasing a desire may create excitement in life and it may lead to the thrill of the chase, it will all pass. Peace is the foundation of happiness. Unless we are at peace, we cannot experience true happiness. We must not become prisoners of our senses, our mind, our desires. So, what must we do to overcome desires?
Therefore, the first thing we must realize is that a desire, whether fulfilled or unfulfilled, does not promise us peace and joy, true happiness. On the other hand, it can actually make us miserable. Desire can become a fire that can ultimately burn us. When there is desire, we become attached to the result that we seek. We think we will become happy if our wish becomes a reality, if a desire is fulfilled. The problem is that we don’t realize that we can never ‘become’ happy. Happiness is a state of ‘being’. We have to be happy, moment by moment. Desires, actually, can make us restless and agitated. And even if a desire materialises, what we experience is pleasure, moments of fleeting joy. Ultimately, all desires are not fulfilled, and it leads to suffering. This is a subtle problem but can become the root of many problems. We, thus, must control our mind that makes us crave, want, desire. We must discipline it. The mind is a monkey — it jumps from one thing to another, desiring this and desiring that. We have to cut its tail EY that is Ever Yelling, Ever Yearning. Once we cut the EY, the tail of the monkey mind, the mind becomes a monk. We must be in silence and still the mind. In the state of thoughtlessness, consciousness, we experience peace and bliss. We transcend the body, mind and ego. We transcend desires. It is in this state that we can be enlightened.
The second thing to understand is that nothing really belongs to us. We come empty handed and we go empty handed. We constantly chase material things and collect them. For what? Everything will be left behind. Nothing goes with us! Nothing belongs to us! It is important to live with detached attachment, realizing that nothing is ours. We must strive to live a life of contentment and fulfillment. A life of acceptance and gratitude. A life of surrender. Of course, we must enjoy this beautiful world. Whatever comes our way, we should accept it and enjoy it as Prasadam from God. The problem lies in craving, lusting for pleasures, objects or people. Even if we seek achievement and success, we do not stop after a certain point. We do not evolve in life. We refuse to walk away from the glitter of money and success. We have no control on ourselves. We continue to suffer and be miserable. We continue to live in ignorance.
If at all we must desire, the only thing we should seek or desire is God realization. We should passionately yearn for the Divine, the Supreme Immortal Power we call God. If we realize God, if we attain God, if we become one with the Divine, we will be in a state of eternal bliss and peace. We will attain Moksha, Nirvana which is the goal of life. If we realize the truth, if we are enlightened with the truth about who we are, the Divine Soul, if we realize that this world is only a drama, we will realize how foolish we are in chasing material desires to be happy!The Buddha maintained that the root cause of suffering is desire. Because we crave and we desire, we create problems for ourselves and we become miserable. All desires cannot be fulfilled. Some will, which will bring us momentary, fleeting joy. But soon enough, we will want something else and become discontent. And if a desire is not fulfilled, it will make us bitter, angry, disappointed. The truth is that desires are never-ending. If one desire is fulfilled, another desire is born. We are never satisfied. Our need becomes our greed. As we try to realize our desire, we unfortunately, become victims of our mind that creates stress, worry and anxiety. At times, we become so obsessed with our desire that we do everything we can to attain it, even if it means resorting to unethical means. While chasing a desire may create excitement in life and it may lead to the thrill of the chase, it will all pass. Peace is the foundation of happiness. Unless we are at peace, we cannot experience true happiness. We must not become prisoners of our senses, our mind, our desires. So, what must we do to overcome desires?
Therefore, the first thing we must realize is that a desire, whether fulfilled or unfulfilled, does not promise us peace and joy, true happiness. On the other hand, it can actually make us miserable. Desire can become a fire that can ultimately burn us. When there is desire, we become attached to the result that we seek. We think we will become happy if our wish becomes a reality, if a desire is fulfilled. The problem is that we don’t realize that we can never ‘become’ happy. Happiness is a state of ‘being’. We have to be happy, moment by moment. Desires, actually, can make us restless and agitated. And even if a desire materialises, what we experience is pleasure, moments of fleeting joy. Ultimately, all desires are not fulfilled, and it leads to suffering. This is a subtle problem but can become the root of many problems. We, thus, must control our mind that makes us crave, want, desire. We must discipline it. The mind is a monkey — it jumps from one thing to another, desiring this and desiring that. We have to cut its tail EY that is Ever Yelling, Ever Yearning. Once we cut the EY, the tail of the monkey mind, the mind becomes a monk. We must be in silence and still the mind. In the state of thoughtlessness, consciousness, we experience peace and bliss. We transcend the body, mind and ego. We transcend desires. It is in this state that we can be enlightened.
The second thing to understand is that nothing really belongs to us. We come empty handed and we go empty handed. We constantly chase material things and collect them. For what? Everything will be left behind. Nothing goes with us! Nothing belongs to us! It is important to live with detached attachment, realizing that nothing is ours. We must strive to live a life of contentment and fulfillment. A life of acceptance and gratitude. A life of surrender. Of course, we must enjoy this beautiful world. Whatever comes our way, we should accept it and enjoy it as Prasadam from God. The problem lies in craving, lusting for pleasures, objects or people. Even if we seek achievement and success, we do not stop after a certain point. We do not evolve in life. We refuse to walk away from the glitter of money and success. We have no control on ourselves. We continue to suffer and be miserable. We continue to live in ignorance.
If at all we must desire, the only thing we should seek or desire is God realization. We should passionately yearn for the Divine, the Supreme Immortal Power we call God. If we realize God, if we attain God, if we become one with the Divine, we will be in a state of eternal bliss and peace. We will attain Moksha, Nirvana which is the goal of life. If we realize the truth, if we are enlightened with the truth about who we are, the Divine Soul, if we realize that this world is only a drama, we will realize how foolish we are in chasing material desires to be happy!
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