by Nityananda Atman
Every pleasurable experience is recorded in the memory
as an impression (image and thought) together with the associated sensation of
pleasure.
After some repetitions of the same pleasurable
experience or from the first time if the experience was strong enough this
memory of pleasure becomes lust, viz. longing to experience again the same
pleasure.
The time we get the object and we are in actual
contact with it, the desire modifies and takes the form of passion and thus
intensify the experience of pleasure.
In brief, the
memorized pleasure itself modifies as lust, desire and passion. All are one the same energy assuming different forms.
It is not strange that these modifications of the pleasure-energy can happen.
There are similar examples from the physical plane; for example the water. The
same substance of water which is H2O can take various forms such as ice, snow,
humidity, cloud etc.. Similarly the energy of pleasure can assume the form of
lust, desire, passion, 'Iness and all other expressions of ego such as anger,
fear, greed, impatient, depression, etc..
After every repetition of pleasure the lust, desire
and passion become stronger and
stronger. After some time they become a psychological entity which functions
independently of our conscious will, reason and choice.
We become a victim of this psychological entity which
misuses, overuses our senses, body, mind and energy and lead us also to sinful
actions.
This mechanism of pleasure creates also in us all
negative qualities (anger, fear, jealousy, greed, selfishness, violence,
hatred, sorrow, depression etc.) which cause innumerable suffering of all
kinds.
The consequence of the lusty-desiring ego is suffering in the form of body diseases, psychological diseases and all kind of psychological disorders such as anger, fear, depression, sadness, impatience, irritation, hatred, greed, jealousy, aggressiveness etc. which are only modifications of desire itself. Compulsive thinking is always associated and interrelated with the emotional impulses.
The ego and desires create suffering by three ways:
1. By the transformation of desire itself into pain-body; viz. anger, fear, depression, greed, jealousy, sadness and all other well known psychological disorders. These
psychological disorders when are activated make us experience enormous suffering.
2. By committing sinful actions in order to fulfill our desires. These actions create painful situations and conditions in the future (karma). We can reincarante for example in a sick body or in a problematic family or country.
3. By overusing and misusing the senses, body, mind and prana. This cause physical, vital and mental diseases.
Desire and lust are the beginning, the middle and the end of human suffering.
First desire creates in us a sense of incompleteness, that something is missing, a sense of discontentment, uneasiness and boredom which is the beginning of suffering.
Subsequently the suffering of desire takes the form of expectations, imaginations, impatience, anxiety and agitation of mind (compulsive thinking). That happens when the impulse of desire arises in our mind and heart.
Finally the suffering of desire takes the form of fear, anger and depression.
Fear arises when there is possibility not to get the desired object or to lose it when we have succeeded in getting it. In addition desire transforms itself into anger when something or someone obscures the fulfillment of desire.
If we lose or not get the desired object, desire itself is modified into anger, hatred, aggressiveness, violence followed by disappointment, depression, sadness etc.
Usually when the desire is fulfilled there is for a while a sense of euphoria, satisfaction, contentment, and possibly happiness which are followed again by the feelings of emptiness, lack, discontentment, uneasiness and the fear of losing the desired object.
Thus a vicious cycle is created by desire which starts and ends with suffering. There are only some intervals in which we feel content, happy or peaceful and which last very little.
This vicious cycle of the suffering created by desire is going on without a break until we are aware of it and by diligent practice we get free of it.
It is very important to mention here that desire keeps us in its clutches by making us believe that happiness and pleasure are inherent in the sense objects and the external situations.
This is the greatest illusion because there is not even an iota of pleasure and happiness in the objects. The ego-desire creates this illusion by projection, association, superimposition, identification and imagination.
Lack of discernment and inattention keep this play of ego and desire out of our conscious observation; thus the desire mechanism functions unobstructed.
The consequence of the lusty-desiring ego is suffering in the form of body diseases, psychological diseases and all kind of psychological disorders such as anger, fear, depression, sadness, impatience, irritation, hatred, greed, jealousy, aggressiveness etc. which are only modifications of desire itself. Compulsive thinking is always associated and interrelated with the emotional impulses.
1. By the transformation of desire itself into pain-body; viz. anger, fear, depression, greed, jealousy, sadness and all other well known psychological disorders. These
psychological disorders when are activated make us experience enormous suffering.
2. By committing sinful actions in order to fulfill our desires. These actions create painful situations and conditions in the future (karma). We can reincarante for example in a sick body or in a problematic family or country.
3. By overusing and misusing the senses, body, mind and prana. This cause physical, vital and mental diseases.
Desire and lust are the beginning, the middle and the end of human suffering.
First desire creates in us a sense of incompleteness, that something is missing, a sense of discontentment, uneasiness and boredom which is the beginning of suffering.
Subsequently the suffering of desire takes the form of expectations, imaginations, impatience, anxiety and agitation of mind (compulsive thinking). That happens when the impulse of desire arises in our mind and heart.
Finally the suffering of desire takes the form of fear, anger and depression.
Fear arises when there is possibility not to get the desired object or to lose it when we have succeeded in getting it. In addition desire transforms itself into anger when something or someone obscures the fulfillment of desire.
If we lose or not get the desired object, desire itself is modified into anger, hatred, aggressiveness, violence followed by disappointment, depression, sadness etc.
Usually when the desire is fulfilled there is for a while a sense of euphoria, satisfaction, contentment, and possibly happiness which are followed again by the feelings of emptiness, lack, discontentment, uneasiness and the fear of losing the desired object.
Thus a vicious cycle is created by desire which starts and ends with suffering. There are only some intervals in which we feel content, happy or peaceful and which last very little.
This vicious cycle of the suffering created by desire is going on without a break until we are aware of it and by diligent practice we get free of it.
It is very important to mention here that desire keeps us in its clutches by making us believe that happiness and pleasure are inherent in the sense objects and the external situations.
This is the greatest illusion because there is not even an iota of pleasure and happiness in the objects. The ego-desire creates this illusion by projection, association, superimposition, identification and imagination.
Lack of discernment and inattention keep this play of ego and desire out of our conscious observation; thus the desire mechanism functions unobstructed.
Like-dislike, attraction-aversion and attachment are
also attendants and modifications of the mechanism of
pleasure-lust-desire-passion.
When the physical body dies all those psychologiacal
entities of lust, desire, anger, fear, greed, pride etc. do not die but they
incarnate in a new physical body creating similar to its contents experiences.
If we are not conscious of the egoic mechanism, this
samsara of birth and death, pleasure and suffering goes on in eternity.
Birth
after birth the mechanism of desire and all negativities created by desire
increase dramatically and the suffering becomes unbearable. You have only
to switch on the television or navigate the internet to see earthlings to suffer
in innumerable ways and make also mother earth and other species suffer.
And we are not yet at the peak of the suffering of
this human race. As the ego will increase in the next generations we are going
to face unfortunately even greatest amounts of suffering.
May God bless you realize the truth in this very life!
Read more about ego:
What Is This Ego?
What really ego is
Hints about the nature of ego
Liberation is freedom from ego
The death of the ego by Sri Ramana Maharshi
Enquiry into the nature of ego
FREEDOM from DESIRE the origin of ego
Vital, emotions and compulsive thinking
~Nityananda
Read more about ego:
What Is This Ego?
What really ego is
Hints about the nature of ego
Liberation is freedom from ego
The death of the ego by Sri Ramana Maharshi
Enquiry into the nature of ego
FREEDOM from DESIRE the origin of ego
Vital, emotions and compulsive thinking
Peace love harmony