Desire - the Power of Lust
by Atman NItyananda /Aum
Desire is the energy that propels us forward, motivates us to pursue the things we want, and gives us a sense of purpose. However, desire has various aspects according the three gunas can be of sattvic, rajasic and tamsic nature. Lust, is mostly of rajasi and rajasotamsic nature and one of the most powerful aspects of desire difficult to manage and get free and it is th one that mostly causes craving, passion, greed, delusion attachment, identification, pain, and suffering.
Lust, especially sex and food-drink lust, is a strong force that overwhelms our senses and clouds mind and intellect ant ht capcity ofrestrain, reason and discenment. It is a passonate longing for immediate gratification that blinds us to the consequences of our actions and makes us lose touch with our essence and our connection to the divine consciousness. We become so consumed by our desires and especially lust that we forget the spiritual values that guide us towards a meaningful life and the true purpose of our existence that is Self-realization and transforming ourselves into beings of peace, love and light.
Lust is also what causes the feelings of dissatisfaction, discomfort, uneasiness and sense of lack that manifest themselves almost constantly in us. We are never satisfied with what we have, always wanting different, more and more intense pleasures and satisfaction of the senses, and craving for that which is created in our imagination bent to the power of lust.
This insatiable desire for external pleasures as well as for money, possessions and fame is what fuels the identification with the body and objects and the cycle of suffering and the illusion of happiness. We think that once we get what we want, we will be happy, but soon realize that the happiness (if any) is fleeting and temporary. We are then left with a feeling of lack and a sense that something is missing, that we want something more to feel okay and aslo boredom and disatisfaction.
Lust foundation is mostly the rajas quality (guna) subcordinated by the tamas guna. Rajas is the quality of passion, craving, and attachment while tamas is the quality of ignorance, lethargy, and delusion.
Tamas makes us identify with lust and passion and become addcitve to them. Tamas is also what makes lust perverted and find pleasure in perverted ways of making sex (porography and majohism among many others) and eating foods and drinks. Tamas causes other perversions too, for example, makes us find satisfantion in creating pain to others.
When rajas and tamas qualities are dominant in a person, desire degradates in the form of lust and other negative emotions such as greed, attachemnt and addiction. The mind becomes restless and agitated, always seeking fulfillment in sense pleasures and sensory experiences.
However, the ancient wisdom of yoga and other spiritual tranditions offer a path for transcendence and freedom of these lower qualities of human nature. By cultivating the sattva quality or the quality of harmony, peace, purity, and clarity, we can rise above our lower nature and connect with our higher self (Atman, Consciousness) and the divine Consicousness.
Spiritual life and daily systematic practice enable us to detach ourselves from lust and other egoic tendencies and conditioning, purify the mind and heart, gradually to diminish them and finally dissolve them completely and attain liberation.
There are many ways and methods of practice, among them living Self-aware and mindfyully moment to moment, medtitation, self-enquiry, mantra repetition, chanting mantras, prayer and devotionare of the most important. In addition to practice, living a sattvic life style is also an essential factor to overcome lust.
By living Self-aware and mindfyully moment to momente, we can observe our thoughts and desires without getting caught up in them. We learn to detach and cease identifying with lust, cravings and impulses for pleasures but also of any other nature, and observe them mindfully make them subside and diminish their energy through prayer and mantra. This way we can gradually deepen in the inner silence and and to find joy and plenitude witin ourselves and the simple things in life.
Through daily practice of meditation and Self-enquiry at home or wherever we are we train our attention and mind to focus on the present moment, develop a deeper and firmer cosncious contact with inner silence and cultivate inner peace and calmness. The more we dettach from the mind (thoughts and emotions) and slowing down the mind and becoming still, the more we can transcend lust, passion and all mental emotional expressionss and connect with the deeper essence of being.
We learn to live from a place of authenticity and wisdom rather than from a place of greed and delusion. We can find joy in the simple pleasures of life, such as spending time with loved ones, enjoying nature, and engaging in creative pursuits, but most of all enjoying just being. Enjoying the peace and bliss of our essence in ourselves regradless of external events and circumsatances.
Spirituality teaches us that the ultimate goal of life is not to fulfill our desires but to realize our true nature and transform ourseves into beings of peace, love and light. It is to awaken to the truth that we are not separate from the divine Consciousness, but merely expressions of it and in essence one with the divine. By realizing that we are infinite eternal Consciousness, we disidentify from the ego and all its expressions and body and connect with the infinite peace, wisdom and love that is within us and pervedaes the whole cosmos.
In conclusion, lust is a powerful force that lead us astray from our true purpose in life and causes greed, delusion, attachment,addiction, pain, and suffering.
However, through sattvic life and systamtic, sincere and diligent practice moment by moment and at home, we can purify our psyche, cultivate the sattva quality and through meditation and Slef-enquiry rise above our lower nature and connect consciouslty with our divine essence. By connecting with our essence and the divine Consciousness, we can transcend and eliminate lust and all other desires and find lasting peace and fulfillment.
The only way to overcome and get free from lust is through spiritual practices, living a sattvic, conscious and mindful life and to cultivate inner peace, contentment, and joy by connecting deeply and firmly with inner silent presence which is our divine nature and one with the divine consciousness.
🌺 Peace, Love, Harmony