As
long as we think that the causes of our suffering are outside we will never
enquire what happens inside.
By
not investigating what happens inside, we will remain ignorants of the very
fact that all suffering is self-created and comes from within.
That
suffering is created due to our identification with the body and our addiction to
fulfill our desires for pleasure through objects. The quality of our desires
depends on the gunic constitution of our mind. The rajotamasic mind and the
rajasotamasic desires and habits are mainly the cause of suffering, not the
sattvic ones. The rajasic desires, habits and actions are characterized by
passion, excess, domination, manipulation, power, competition, while the
tamasic by perversion, auto-destruction, unhealthy, violence,
exploitation, disregard of life. We must abandon the tamasic habits and desires and substitute the rajasic ones with sattvic and finally go beyond sattva as well and identify with our true Self (Atman), the eternal light of Consciousness which is beyond the three gunas always free, complete, peacful and blissful.
Seeking
sensual pleasures is the surest way to suffer. Lust and desire are the enemies
of peace, Bliss and freedom eternal.
The
vicious circle of pleasure and suffering functions like this: Pleasure becomes,
lust, lust becomes desire, desire impels us to action in order to experience
again the same pleasure. Until now it seems that everything is ok and you could
say what the problem to experience pleasure is. It would be nice if this
process of seeking and experiencing pleasure had only a 'positive' aspect but
this is just impossible. We cannot have pleasure without suffering.
Let’s
see how this process continues. By repetition of the same pleasurable
experiences attachment and addiction are created. Each time we experience
pleasure, lust, desire and attachment are strengthened and on the other hand
weakens our will power, our mind become conditioned by these experiences and
also our mind is loaded with rajasic and tamasic energies which cloud our
buddhi (the intellect) by which our intellect loses its capacity perceive with
clarity, to think and reason and decide with clarity (without the distortion
that creates the lust, the desire, the rajas and tamas gunas in the mind),
loses its tranquility and luminosity and most of all loses its capacity to
discern the real from the unreal. When the intellect dysfunctions we fail to
control the mind, the senses and the emotions. Let's see what else.
The
strengthening of desires and attachments strengthens our identification with
body and mind (the desire and attachment are strengthened by repetition and the
degree of pleasure and satisfaction we get). Identification with body is
related to fear of death, pain etc. Identification with the mind makes us
vulnerable to the movements of desire and all other egoic tendencies.
Identification makes us lose our connection with our essence which is the
source of true happiness, bliss and freedom and make us a prey to compulsive
movements of desire. The more we give in to desire the stronger becomes the
desire. The stronger it becomes the desire, the stronger it becomes the
attachment to the desired object and the manifestation of negative emotions
(which I mention below), and thus the stronger it becomes the suffering.
The eternal company of desire are fear and anger; fear not to get or to lose
the desired object and anger when someone or something impedes us fulfill our
desire. The strongest becomes the desire the strongest becomes
the attachment, the fear and the anger. And if at the end we lose the desired
object that we are attached, if we cannot possess or achieve what we want,
then desire transforms as disappointment and depression. Fear, anger,
impatience, anxiety, disappointment and depression are the primary
modifications of desire that make us suffer. Moreover usually after some time
the ego is bored by experiencing the same object (due to rajas guna) and thus
seeks another similar or different one;
this is the main reason that people change very often sexual partners and
make many relations. That keeps our mind and vital energy in a continuous
state of stress, anxiety, discontent and dissatisfaction.
Like,
dislike, attraction, repulsion, love* and hatred, (which are the
primary egoic dualities created by desire), fear, anger, jealousy, greed,
depression, impatience, disappointment, anxiety go along with desires and
attachments; all these tendencies are only modifications of desire itself. As
the milk transforms in yogurt, as the water transforms in ice, snow, rain,
clouds and humidity similarly the desire transforms as fear, anger, impatience,
greed and all others well known egoic tendencies which make us suffer.
Since desire itself modifies and
assumes the form of all painful emotions we cannot have only pleasure without
suffering which is other face of the same coin (of desire). Suffering also is due to the fact
that because of desires we overuse and misuse our body, energy, mind and senses
creating energetic and bodily unbalances which make us suffer as well. All
diseases are the effect of desires.
Remember
also that by nature desire is insatiable, that´s why it is never satisfied; it
wants always more, better and different kinds of pleasure. Thus if you think
that you can be free from desire by fulfilling all your desires you just fool
yourself. The desire only for a while settles down when we enjoy actually the
desired object or for a little more and after some time manifests again and
compels us to seek one more time a pleasurable experience assuming first the
form of painful emotions such as incompleteness, dissatisfaction,
discontentment, boredom and uneasiness. In order to overcome for a while these
painful emotions we seek again a pleasurable experience. During the enjoyment
of the object all negative emotions subside and our mind becomes temporarily
calm and focused, and thus together with pleasure we experience in some degree
content and happy (not always) because when the mind becomes calm and focus
reflects naturally the happiness of our Soul.
The
desires make us selfish and egoistic. The egoism increases in accordance the strengthening
of desires; because of it those who help us meet our desires become our friends
and those who are an obstacle our enemies. We love or we hate others according
our preferences, desires and egoistic needs.
Desire
is the cause of pride too. When we fulfill a desire the emotion of pride arises
making us feel especial, important or superior. When pride arises we feel also
some kind of pleasure. Pride is related with our self-image. Thus what enhances
our self-image becomes our friend and what makes us feel small becomes our
enemy.
Desire
as I mentioned above, modifies to all other well known negative emotions which
are the causes of our suffering. Behind all these emotions (impatience,
anxiety, depression, jealousy, greed, arrogance, resentment, agony,
frustration, discontentment, uneasiness, depression, etc..) there is always
some desire or 'need'. If you reflect a little on your own experiences you will
find easily that behind every situation there is always something that you want
or you don't want.
Knowing
all this it becomes clear that there is no other remedy to liberate us from
suffering but the dissolution of desire, the enemy of wisdom, peace and
eternal bliss.
By intense longing to realize the truth and live in peace, bliss and unity everyone and everything, by devotion and systematic, diligent and regular practice we can eliminate the desire and all the disorders created by the desire as well as the ego or egoism itself which is only another form of desire.
By turning our mind and heart totally to God all other worldly desires lose their power. Thus by devotion and sincere and constant practice we can eliminate easier all desires and by meditation we can be established in our essence. Since it is very difficult for the majority to renounce suddenly all their worldly desires and be devoted to God is suggested at first to replace the rajasotamasic desires and habits with sattvic ones. However it is urgent to abandon all destructive tamasic desires and habits as well as to replace gradually the rajasic ones with sattvic. We must also change the way we do things; viz do them in a sattvic mode instead of rajasic or tamasic. For example, we must learn to make love with a sattvic way (tantric) instead of rajasic (passionate), or tamasic (perversions). To do sport with a sattvic mode instead of a rajasic one (competitive). We must eat in a sattvic way instead of a tamasic or rajasic one as well as we must choose eat sattvic foods than tamasic (we must abandon them) or rajasic ones (rajasic are necessary to some degree).
By intense longing to realize the truth and live in peace, bliss and unity everyone and everything, by devotion and systematic, diligent and regular practice we can eliminate the desire and all the disorders created by the desire as well as the ego or egoism itself which is only another form of desire.
By turning our mind and heart totally to God all other worldly desires lose their power. Thus by devotion and sincere and constant practice we can eliminate easier all desires and by meditation we can be established in our essence. Since it is very difficult for the majority to renounce suddenly all their worldly desires and be devoted to God is suggested at first to replace the rajasotamasic desires and habits with sattvic ones. However it is urgent to abandon all destructive tamasic desires and habits as well as to replace gradually the rajasic ones with sattvic. We must also change the way we do things; viz do them in a sattvic mode instead of rajasic or tamasic. For example, we must learn to make love with a sattvic way (tantric) instead of rajasic (passionate), or tamasic (perversions). To do sport with a sattvic mode instead of a rajasic one (competitive). We must eat in a sattvic way instead of a tamasic or rajasic one as well as we must choose eat sattvic foods than tamasic (we must abandon them) or rajasic ones (rajasic are necessary to some degree).
By
cultivating and practicing discrimination, dispassion, self-awareness, self-observation,
prayer, japa nama, japa mantra, control of senses and mind, pranayama,
concentration, meditation and self-enquiry kill this eternal enemy of peace,
bliss and freedom eternal.
Dissolve
all desires, rest in your own Self (Atman) and drink the nectar of eternal
peace and bliss.
NOTE:
love*: love here is not referred to the
unconditional love which our essential divine nature, but to the conditioned love
which has more an emotional nature and which easily can change under certain circumstances
to hostility and hatred.
Peace, love, harmony