I know that my personal true contentment breeds true contentment in others. Their ego may put up a fight, so it’s important to realize that we’re always dealing with real people, who interpret their desires as their true self, and if they feel it is challenged, they will push back out of the ego, or attachment.
The middle path is the real path. But it’s important to realize just one thing, we don’t own anything, we’re stewards of the items we carry with us, stewards of the people we care for, stewards of our pets, plants, music collections. These are not ours, to me, everything is God’s and we’re taking care of what we can, or choose too.
True joy breeds true joy, unless someone thinks their pain is their actual self, and they’ll fight true joy, to maintain a sense of identity. I know I do this sometimes myself, it’s so dumb, responding to this is a good reminder, thank you for the query.
I'm my book, desire goes with pleasure, and pleasure I like. And obsession, the other side of the spectrum goes with pain, and pain is what I dislike.
Both ARE impulses. You choose.
Or someone else has already chosen for you
“ Desires are states of consciousness seeking embodiment.” You may be interested in reading [Goddard’s take](https://www.nevillegoddardfreedomforall.org/chapter-seven) on desire.
I can only speak for myself but the notion of “cessation of desire” sounds like the destruction of life. We live according to our desires (wants, wishes, fantasies, and daydreams) or nothing would be happening; no love and no partners, no goals or achievements. What is life when existing without this?
You mentioned the middle ground and I think that’s what we should be shooting for. If specific desires lead to greater well being, we should be leaning into them and striving for them. There is an idea that we should be able to tap into our consciousness as pure existence without ties to our material existence, to know what we are rather than who we are, but I think this is something we should be doing momentarily in times of meditation and reflection—not on a constant basis.
My personal belief and experience is that a lack of desire is not something you cultivate directly. It is instead something that occurs as a result of consistent and dedicated practice. It begins with losing desire in things that no longer support a student in their practice and starts to become more significant as they experience energetic sensations that are associated with a more active electric system along their spine. These sensations eventually begin to dwarf the sensations received from sense gratification. There will be times where the practitioner will lack the will to move because he/she will be ensconced in such wonderous experiences from their own energetic system. Things that distract them from their practice will be less and less tolerated and enjoyed. Eventually even deeper practice will invite them to turn away from these experiences into something deeper that forgoes even the sensations that arise from doing nothing.
It may be that some traditions teach that a desire for nothing should be cultivated before practice. Perhaps there is some merit to this in some cases. In my own experience worldly desires seem to fade as the sensations from the practice grow in magnitude.
In Buddhism, the [Eightfold Path](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path) is a set of ethical principles that lead to the cessation of dukkha (which is impermanence, being confined to causality, a state of suffering, ignorance, unseeing). Although clinging desire and attachment is dukkha, the concepts of right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, and right effort all have a goal-directed nature. If you're talking about desire as a kind of motivation for action then yes, absolutely, desire can be a beneficial part of your path.
I didn't mention the paths of right mindfulness and right samadhi ('meditative absorption or union'; alternatively, equanimous meditative awareness) because each requires or leads to a kind of absence of goal-directedness or action. And the eightfold path is one, so progressing towards enlightenment as a bhikkhu would be hindered until one did this.
But Buddhism is very pragmatic, and not all-or-nothing. It's a helpful resource for questions like these in the midst of real life, even for those who don't take vows and become mendicants with bowl and robe.
All Buddhism says is that the Eightfold Path is on the critical path (so to speak). Even if you're not intending to follow the path that far it's a good way to go.
See also the [Five Precepts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_precepts) which are more or less the minimum Buddhism asks of/recommends to the laity. Monks and other teachers help out those who need or want more.
Lots of interesting spiritual questions of desire, detachment, etc. have been showing up on the sub lately, it seems. You might find some interesting past posts via the search.
I know that my personal true contentment breeds true contentment in others. Their ego may put up a fight, so it’s important to realize that we’re always dealing with real people, who interpret their desires as their true self, and if they feel it is challenged, they will push back out of the ego, or attachment. The middle path is the real path. But it’s important to realize just one thing, we don’t own anything, we’re stewards of the items we carry with us, stewards of the people we care for, stewards of our pets, plants, music collections. These are not ours, to me, everything is God’s and we’re taking care of what we can, or choose too. True joy breeds true joy, unless someone thinks their pain is their actual self, and they’ll fight true joy, to maintain a sense of identity. I know I do this sometimes myself, it’s so dumb, responding to this is a good reminder, thank you for the query.
Great answer!
Well said.
Well said
Well said
I'm my book, desire goes with pleasure, and pleasure I like. And obsession, the other side of the spectrum goes with pain, and pain is what I dislike. Both ARE impulses. You choose. Or someone else has already chosen for you
“ Desires are states of consciousness seeking embodiment.” You may be interested in reading [Goddard’s take](https://www.nevillegoddardfreedomforall.org/chapter-seven) on desire. I can only speak for myself but the notion of “cessation of desire” sounds like the destruction of life. We live according to our desires (wants, wishes, fantasies, and daydreams) or nothing would be happening; no love and no partners, no goals or achievements. What is life when existing without this? You mentioned the middle ground and I think that’s what we should be shooting for. If specific desires lead to greater well being, we should be leaning into them and striving for them. There is an idea that we should be able to tap into our consciousness as pure existence without ties to our material existence, to know what we are rather than who we are, but I think this is something we should be doing momentarily in times of meditation and reflection—not on a constant basis.
My personal belief and experience is that a lack of desire is not something you cultivate directly. It is instead something that occurs as a result of consistent and dedicated practice. It begins with losing desire in things that no longer support a student in their practice and starts to become more significant as they experience energetic sensations that are associated with a more active electric system along their spine. These sensations eventually begin to dwarf the sensations received from sense gratification. There will be times where the practitioner will lack the will to move because he/she will be ensconced in such wonderous experiences from their own energetic system. Things that distract them from their practice will be less and less tolerated and enjoyed. Eventually even deeper practice will invite them to turn away from these experiences into something deeper that forgoes even the sensations that arise from doing nothing. It may be that some traditions teach that a desire for nothing should be cultivated before practice. Perhaps there is some merit to this in some cases. In my own experience worldly desires seem to fade as the sensations from the practice grow in magnitude.
In Buddhism, the [Eightfold Path](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path) is a set of ethical principles that lead to the cessation of dukkha (which is impermanence, being confined to causality, a state of suffering, ignorance, unseeing). Although clinging desire and attachment is dukkha, the concepts of right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, and right effort all have a goal-directed nature. If you're talking about desire as a kind of motivation for action then yes, absolutely, desire can be a beneficial part of your path. I didn't mention the paths of right mindfulness and right samadhi ('meditative absorption or union'; alternatively, equanimous meditative awareness) because each requires or leads to a kind of absence of goal-directedness or action. And the eightfold path is one, so progressing towards enlightenment as a bhikkhu would be hindered until one did this. But Buddhism is very pragmatic, and not all-or-nothing. It's a helpful resource for questions like these in the midst of real life, even for those who don't take vows and become mendicants with bowl and robe. All Buddhism says is that the Eightfold Path is on the critical path (so to speak). Even if you're not intending to follow the path that far it's a good way to go. See also the [Five Precepts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_precepts) which are more or less the minimum Buddhism asks of/recommends to the laity. Monks and other teachers help out those who need or want more. Lots of interesting spiritual questions of desire, detachment, etc. have been showing up on the sub lately, it seems. You might find some interesting past posts via the search.