DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELFISHNESS AND DESIRE

 

                             THE SPIRITUAL ADVICE

                      SHE CONFUSED BETWEEN HER SELFISH DESIRE AND DESIRE FOR SOCIAL AS WELL AS SPIRITUAL CAUSE.

                      DESIRE IS THE LONGING FOR A PERSON, OBJECT OR OUTCOME. THERE IS WIDE DIVERSITY OF DESIRES BUT IN GENERAL THERE ARE TWO CATEGORIES OF DESIRES - ONE IS WORLDLY DESIRE AND OTHER IS SPIRITUAL DESIRE . THE DESIRE WHICH PLEASES FIVE SENSES I.E. EYES THROUGH SEEING, EARS THROUGH HEARING, NOSE THROUGH SMELLING, TONGUE THROUGH TASTING AND SKIN THROUGH TOUCHING COMES UNDER WORDLY DESIRES. ON FULLFILLMENT OF SUCH DESIRES, ATTACHMENT WITH THE WORLDLY THINGS INCREASES. THE DESIRE WHICH DOESN'T FULFILL SENSUAL PEASURES BUT HELPS ONE IN BECOMING A BETTER PERSON BY DOING SOCIAL SERVICE OR MEDITATION COMES UNDER SPIRITUAL DESIRES. IN SUCH DESIRES THERE IS NON-ATTACHMENT WITH THE MATERIALISTIC WORLD.

                     THE HUMAN MIND IS SO ACQUISITIVE THAT ON GETTING ONE, IT YEARS FOR MORE AND MORE. IF ONE WORLDY DESIRE IS FULLFILLED THEN THAT ACCOMPLISHED DESIRE GAVE BIRTH TO TEN NEW DESIRES IN MIND. CHARLES JOHNTON STATED THAT THE DESIRE IS NOT QUENCHED BY POURING OIL ON IT. SO DESIRE IS NOT QUENCHED WITH THE SATISFACTION OF DESIRE. DESIRES WILL NOT ONLY BRING HAPPINESS BUT SORROW, TROUBLE AND SADNESS ALSO. CONTINUOUS THINKING ABOUT THE DESIRE.  FULLFILLMENT OF DESIRES, PLEASURE DERIVED FROM THE ENHOYMENT OF THE OBJECTS BRING ATTACHMENT IN MIND WITH THE WORLDLY OBJECTS. IF DESIRE IS FULLFILLED THEN IT INCREASES LOBHA (GREED) AND ONE WANTS MORE AND MORE. IF ANY OBSTACLES COMES IN THE FULLFILLMENT OF DESIRE IT LEADS TO KRODHA (ANGER). SO , DESIRE IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL EVILS.

                   IF ONE RUNS AFTER THE DESIRES, THEY WILL RUN WITH DOUBLE THE SPEED AWAY FROM ONESELF, IF ONE DOES NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THEM, THEY WILL COME TOWARDS ONE. IGNORE ALL WORLDLY DESIRES LIKE THIS BALL. DESIRES SHOULD "LET GO OFF". THE EASIEST WAY TO GET RID OF WORLDLY DESIRES IS TO THINK ABOUT GOD. THEN SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY DETACHMENT FOR WORLDY OBJECTS WILL GROW.

                   THEN WHATEVER HEPPENS, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO AFFECT ONE'S MIND. GOOD RESULTS WILL NOT PROVIDE PLEASURE AND BAD RESULTS WILL NOT GIVE SADNESS AND SORROW.

                        YOU ARE WHAT YOUR DEEP, DIVING DESIRE IS.

                        AS YOUR DESIRE IS, DO IS YOUR DEED,

                       AS YOUR WILL IS, SO IS YOUR DEED,

                       AS YOUR DEED IS, SO IS YOUR DESTINY, 

                        BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD

                    IT IS THE DESIRE WHICH DECIDES ONE'S DESTINY HENCE ONE SHOULD ONE'S VERY BEST TO HAVE DESIRE FOR GOD ONLY AND NOTHING ELSE. MEDITATION IS THE ROYAL ROAD TO THE ATTAINMENT OF FREEDOM FROM WORLDY DESIRES. IT REMOVES DARKNESS AND BRINGS LIGHT IN ONE'S LIFE. IT REMOVES IGNORANCE AND GIVES KNOWLEDGE. IT REMOVES PAIN AND BRINGS PEACE AND BLISS IN ONE'S LIFE. ACCORDING TO SWAMI SIVANANDA MEDITATION IS A MYSTERIOUS LADDER WHICH REACHES FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN, FROM ERROR TO TRUTH, FROM RESTLESSNESS TO ABIDING PEACE AND FROM MORTALITY TO IMMORTALITY.

                       FIXING OF GOAL (SHORT TIME AND LONG TERM)

                 WHO AM I ? WHY AM I BORN ON THIS PLANET? FROM WHERE DID I COME FROM? WHAT WAS I BEFORE COMING ON EARTH? WHY OTHERS ARE RICH AND I AM POOR? WHAT IS THE GOAL OF MY LIFE? WHY THE LIFE OF OTHERS IS SO EASY AND MINE SO DIFFICULT? WHERE WILL GO AFTER DEATH?

                  SUCH QUESTIONES AND MANY MORE LIKE THESE ARISE IN EVERYBODY'S MIND, ONE OR THE OTHER TIME IN LIFE. SOME FORGET AND DON'T BOTHER ABOUT THEM IN BUSY DAILY ROUTINE OF THEIR LIVES WHEREAS SOME OTHERS TRY TO FIND THE ANSWER AND A FEW FIND THE TRUTH. THOSE WHO FOUND THE TRUTH HAVE PEACEFUL MIND AND ARE CONTENTED IN EVERY SITUATION. ACCORDING TO SWAMI VISHNUDEVANANDA, THE MEANING OF LIFE IS FOUND BY DIVING DEEP, DEEP WITHIN. A JOURNEY WITHIN IS MEDITATION!.

                    GOAL IS THE DESIRED END POINT WHICH CLEARLY STATES THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES WHETHER PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL OR SPIRITUAL. THERE CAN NOT BE ANY PROPER ACHIEVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT GOAL. THEREFORE, ONE SHOULD SET AIM IN LIFE TO IMPROVE ONE'S FUTURE. TO SUCCEED IN SPIRITUAL PATH ONE SHOULD ALSO SET GOAL AND THEN FURTHER BREAK IN INTO SHORT-TERM, INTERMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM GOALS.

                  MEDITATION IS ATTAINED STEP BY STEP. IT IS A QUESTION, NOT OF MIRACLE, BUT OF EVOLUTION, OF GROWTH. TO MASTER A LANGUAGE, A PERSON LEARNS ALPHABETS FIRST, THEN WORDS, SENTENCE FORMATION, TENSE, MODALS ETC. SEQUENTIALLY, A PERSON WHO LEARNS MATHEMATICS FIRST LEARNS COUNTING THEN ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, DIVISION, TABLES, THEOREMS ETC. IN THE SIMILAR WAY SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE GROWS SLOWLY AS IT IS A STEP BY STEP PROCESS.