Om! DESIRES AND EMOTIONS II ~ Atman Nityananda

DESIRES AND EMOTIONS II

The immediate cause of anger is desire. Desire transforms to anger  (like milk to yogurt) when it is obstructed or not fulfilled. All other negative (painful) emotions are modifications of desire.

Desire is born of rajas guna. Desire is energy and a mechanism of which the function is based on memory, imagination, identification, projection, association, superimposition.

Desire is the impulse that compels us to action. Desire can by activated by lust, a need, an emotion. A thought and a sense input can also trigger the desire mechanism but behind is always lust, a need, or an emotion which is also based on lust or a need. Desire means, wanting something.

DESIRE AND GUNAS

According the constitution of our mind desire can be related to sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic: objects, persons, pleasures, entertainment, activities, environment, etc.

For example a sattvic mind seeks a peaceful environment (nature), while a rajasic mind an agitated one (down town). A sattvic likes peaceful music (classic music, sacred music, etc. ), and a rajasic loud music (pop, rock etc.).

The main objects of Desire are:

1. pleasure or pleasant sensations (sex, food, drink, and any kind of sense pleasure),

2. money,

3. possessions,

4. comfort,

5. power,

6. safety, security

7. fame, prestige, recognition, specialty (pride, self-image)

PLEASURE

Desire for pleasure is related with all other objects of desire. The other objects of desire like for example money, power, position and prestige can facilitate to get pleasure.

For example, with money we can get sex and food pleasure etc.

MONEY

Desire for money is the mean to get the objects of desires, viz. pleasures, possessions, comfort, power, position, and also can be a mean for the egoic self to feel secure, make its self-image, prestige, pride and feel self-worthy.

With money we can satisfy all others desires.  Our egoic self thinks that money  can help us feel  secure and self-worthy. In reality to feel secure and self-worthy doesn't depend on money, but the ego due to ignorance believes so.  Happiness as well, doesn't depend on money but ego doesn't understand this as well.

Thus, we desire money in order to satisfy our desire for sex, food, for power,  for fame, prestige, for comfort, to feel secure and self-worthy.

POSSESSIONS

Desire for possessions is also related with all other objects of desire.

For example we want possessions in order to feel secure, special, self-worthy, to have prestige,fame, to have sex.

SECURITY

To feel secure is a fundamental need of the egoic self. Security is of two kinds. Physical and psychological.

Money, power, prestige, position, possessions can be related to physical and psychological security (self-image and self-worthiness).

For example with money we can protect our body and feel safe and also we can overcome the psychological fear to feel insufficient, unworthy, rejected, not fulfilled.

Similarly a good job, the prestige, the power and the possessions can make us feel self-worthy, special etc.

PRIDE, SELF-IMAGE, PRESTIGE & SELF-WORTHINESS

Desire for money, pleasure, power, position can be related with them.

In order to feel worthy, accepted, special, recognized we desire to acquire a lot of money, a good job, power, position etc.

We feel pride or special when we achieve fame, recognition, money, good job, we have sex with many men/women, etc.

DESIRE & EMOTIONS

All lower emotions are related with desire.
Anger, fear, impatience, depression, insatisfaction, discontentment, disappointment, like, dislike, aversion, resentment, hatred, uneasiness, anxiety, jealousy, etc. manifest in relation with some desire or a need. 

Impatience, anger and fear

Impatience, anger and fear usually go together. Together with the impatience can be manifested anger, first a very subtle state, anger can take the form of irritability, resentment, unrest etc. and then, depending on circumstances, it can become a big wave. Similarly fear can take first the form of anxiety, doubts, restlessness and agony and then can assume a strong manifestation.
Due to impatience, anger and fear as well as like and dislike, we are in a state of stress, agitation and excitement which is a form of suffering. When these emotions intensify suffering is increased.
Of course there are moments that anger and fear can manifest directly as a strong wave.

Which are the main modifications of desire? 

Gluttony, lasciviousness, jealousy, greed, avarice, Like-dislike, attachment, impatience, agony, uneasiness, anxiety, discontentment, something is missing, boredom, anger, fear, depression.

 Gluttony, is desiring food pleasure but also any substance we can taste in our palate.

Lasciviousness, is desiring sex pleasure.

Avarice, is desiring money.

Greed, is desiring more and more. It applies to all; more food-pleasure, more sex-pleasure, more money, possessions, success, etc.

Jealousy: Desire modifies as jealousy due to the fact that others have what we desire. If we desire money, we are jealous of those who have a lot of money, if we desire a partner, we are jealous of those who have a partner and especially who have a partner like the one we imagine that we want, if we desire fame or recognition, then we are jealous of famous people etc.... 

There is a special kind of jealousy, that among couples, which is mainly related with sexual pleasure. Passion for sexual pleasure makes the mind very egoistic and dominated. This mind wants intensively the object (partner) that gives it pleasure and even the idea to lose its object it makes it mad and jealous. He wants to secure by any mean (not to lose) the object that gives it pleasure. Insecurity and low esteem can also be related with this situation.

Attachment: Desire becomes attachment for the object of desire. The mind naturally is attached to what gives it pleasure and satisfaction as well as to what makes it feel secure, worthy, special, accepted. It is painful to us even the idea to lose the object that satisfies some of our desire or 'need'.

Impatience: Desire modifies as impatience because wants to experience the expected pleasure or get the desired object (money, success, win...) as soon as possible. The time between the arousal of desire until its fulfillment, it appears to us usually long.

Agony, uneasiness, anxiety (these 3 are mild expressions of fear) and fear. Desire modifies as uneasiness, anxiety and fear because of the possibility not to get what we desire or to lose the desired-object that we already possess.

Anger: Desire modifies as anger when something or someone impedes us to get what we want or when something or someone may cause lose what we already possessed.

Depression: Desire modifies as Depression, disappointment and similar emotions arise when we finally lose or not get the desired object.

Discontentment, boredom, uneasiness, something is missing: Desire most of the time,) especially when we are not engaged in some activity), modifies into a negative state of discontentment, boredom, uneasiness, something is missing, in order to compel us seek a pleasant or pleasurable experience. It is more easy for the desirous ego to drive us seek pleasure when we are in a negative (painful) emotional state because we don´t want to remain in a negative emotional state even though it assumes a mild form. Since we cannot forbear for a long time this emotional state our ego easily drive us  towards some pleasant or pleasurable experience in order to overcome (at least temporarily) these painful emotions.  Our vital ego of course doesn't like to make an effort to investigate this emotional state and work in order to free the subconscious mind from this programming since it is the vital ego that creates continuously this state in order to drive us towards pleasures. The most frequent objects are pleasure through mouth and genitals. As long as one lives identified with the vital ego  (named also rajasotamasic ego) will remain slave of all these desire mechanisms.

Like-dislike: Desire modifies also as like in relation with the objects that give us pleasure or we imagine will give us pleasure and dislike for those that give us unpleasant sensations or pain.

Like and dislike as well as all the above mentioned emotional modifications of desire (anger, fear, depression, disappointment etc.) are related also with our self-image and the desire for superiority, specialty and recognition (pride). We like those who enhance our self-image or make us feel special, important etc. and we dislike those who reject us, or our ideas, opinions, etc and makes us feel 'small'. We like those who help us meet our desires and we dislike those who are obstacles.

The desires as well as all the emotions and egoistic tendencies manifest in us with a particular intensity and frequency like the waves of the ocean.  Usually in each one there are some desires and emotions that are stronger and prevail in the everyday life. Some persons are occupied by one or two particular desires, some egoic tendency or emotion which becomes their leitmotiv of their daily life.

All compulsive mechanical thoughts that constantly occur in our mind are due to the impulse of desire and its emotional modifications which by nature is insatiable.

The desire, the thoughts and emotions function in a vicious circle and the one empowers the other. This desire-made emotional-thinking subsides for a while, only when we are enjoying the object of desire. When we are in contact with the object of desire we become one with it and the sense of separation with the object of desire, the agony, anxiety, fear, impatience etc. subside totally and thus we experience a great relief together with a pleasant and the illusory pleasure projected** on the object.

Desire also assumes the form of boredom, uneasiness, discontentment, something is lacking, incompleteness, not feeling well in order to compel us to find some kind of pleasure or pleasant experience. Nobody likes to remain in the above mentioned unpleasant emotional states; so, in order to overcome these emotional states we seek something, interested, pleasurable or pleasant.

INSTINCTS AND DESIRE

The instinctive fear to protect our body and the instinctive desire to satisfy hunger, thirst and sex have nothing to do with the psychological desire which is a distortion in our psyche and is based on memory, fantasy, identification and projection.

The natural desires are the base that the psychological desires (the egoic self) have been developed.

Desire to live in a physical body is the most fundamental desire. The most fundamental fear, is fear of death. Fear of death depends on our desire to live an embodied life.

NOTE: 

Pressure or torture mechanism of desire*: The other three mechanisms of desire are the seduction, the replacement and the extension mechanisms.  (read: Inquiry into the nature of desire). 

The desire functions by memory, imagination, association, identification, projection, superimposition.

Projected**: I have explained in other essay that there is not an iota of pleasure in the objects. The pleasure we experience is projected by our ego on the object. This pleasure we experience is crystallized sexual pleasure in our subtle body. This crystallized sexual energy takes the form of lust, desire, passion and pleasure.

Happiness also has nothing to do with objects. When we are in contact with the desired-object, then the impulse of desire with all emotions that accompany the desire, (agony, anxiety, fear, impatience etc.) subside totally and the mind assumes its sattva mode and becomes calm and introverted. In this state, the mind reflects a part of the happiness of our essence or Soul. Happiness is the nature of our Soul, but this happiness can be experienced when the mind is tranquil, and introverted. This happens in two cases. Temporarily when we are in contact with the object of our desire and when consciously and voluntary by meditation or other practice we manage to still the mind and focus it in its source the Soul or consciousness.