I asked my friends what they really wanted. Suggested to go deeper and ask “why” for every answer they came up with. I was looking for the ultimate answer.
Friends told me that ultimately they wanted happiness or leaving something good behind or joy of creation or freedom etc. If you try and generalize the wants, I think it’s really about fulfillment; a feeling or a sense that arises when an experience matches a desire.
So what I really want is “complete fulfillment of all my desires”. After realizing this I had three interesting revelations, which we will discuss these in the upcoming posts.
1. It’s all about me
2. What if there was a way to get instant “complete fulfillment of all my desires”?
3. Where do desires come from?
1 comment:
Happiness is what everybody wants, at least what I want the most. Unfortunately, everybody is looking for materialistic things assuming that this is what would provide that happiness. In that process, dis-satisfaction and un-happiness abounds. Quite honestly "complete fulfillment of all my desires" would definitely provide the happiness, but by now, hundreds of years after Buddha, we all know desires are the cause of pain and suffering for most, if not all of us. This holds the key to happiness and satisfaction. If you look at it, materialistic things are never a source of happiness. Happiness is a state of mind and once one controls and achieves that state , one is happy. Here is an example, a person who enjoys sleeping in air-conditioned comfort in a large suite in a nice bed would find the same happiness camping in a tent in in-hospitable conditions. (assuming this person enjoys camping). At least I do and In fact I would be un-happy to be sleeping in Sheraton when I desired to camp and found no available campsite that weekend. So luxurious materialistic things do not necessarily bring happiness. Bushmen in Kalahari are perfectly happy with nothing.
Achieving happiness is a process and not a difficult one. The root cause of dis-satisfaction in my opinion is wanting what others have and not just what you need. (this is of course step one). I was perfectly happy doing my job and making $x until I found out my colleague is making 1.5*x for pretty much what I do. The second step would be to want less and appreciate what we have. How many of us wake up every morning thanking that we have eye sight, 2 legs and arms, loving children and spouse, food and shelter?
Practicing the above is like meditating, not an easy task and you have to bring yourself back to the goal of reducing your desires, all the way to not desiring nirvana. When one not desires anything, one would be enlightened.
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