Desire Mind
Craving, obsession, attachment.
It is one of the three poisons in Buddhism. The other two are ignorance and aggression.
A polite word now for this “gotta have it now no matter what” is consumerism. How do we get to this place in our lives where we are never sated? This has been studied and analyzed to the point of being ineffective. My take is simple. Because we are human. We need to survive, and this means getting some food, clothing and shelter put together. We are still the neanderthals, folks. Humbling idea for sure. Somewhere in our thinking we have gone from rudimentary to luxury. Our desire mind takes over and we experience an altered state of consciousness. We will ruin relationships, sabotage our credibility, go to war, pollute the air we breathe and risk our basic well-being to satisfy the itch of desire mind. There are many levels and intensity of desire mind.
The desire mind ruins nations and whole planets.
To open a conversation with ourselves about our desire mind is a brave thing. Part of the reason for this is we are stepping outside of the norm. Ever notice how any piece of a serious spiritual journey invariably involves this “going it alone” part? I happen to relish it.
The best method to an examination of our desires is meditation. The best method to being able to release aspects of our desire mind is through meditation. And if you do not want to meditate then you can try some of the following:
1. Do a visualization or write it down. It goes like this. For survival you need to relocate to another place to live. This house is a solid structure that has running water, heat, clothing, and basic food to give you a safe way to live. You have more than enough to survive, and the outside area is safe and quiet. You can bring one banker’s box of whatever you need or want. You are alone. What’s in the box?
2. Make a gratitude list. You can write down three things for which you are grateful. What did you write?
3. You are dying. You will reincarnate. You can take one thing/idea/wish into your next lifetime.
What are you taking?
I want to clarify here that desire mind is not about the stuff. The above exercises are good for clearing out the cobwebs and getting the mind redirected. Consider it a scared pause. It is absolutely not about feeling terrible about how we live and what we have. I like the stuff I have. As a Buddhist practitioner and a person who does not like physical clutter, I have not accumulated a ton of stuff. Now my desire mind is a whole other thing.
And if you have ever been in a Tibetan Buddhist temple you will be in awe of the richness of the iconography, items used for rituals and the brocades. I just never heard a monk brag on the items in the temple. Their mindset of a calmness and non-attachment is what I think draws people to monks even though they might not realize it.
This paper was designed to open a conversation with yourself. We must start somehow to initiate change in ourselves. The article I cite is by a trusted Buddhist teacher. I hope you read it. Think of it as taking your mind to a place it never gets to visit.
https://tricycle.org/magazine/desire-in-buddhism/#:~:text=Peeling%20Away%20the,WINTER%202019
Tricycle Magazine
Peeling Away the Promise of Desire
By Joseph Goldstein
Winter 2019