Desire
As a body and mind we have many needs and wants, we are tantalised by what we see and desire it. If we observe ourselves we’ll find that our lives are moved by desire. Before any desires arise we already do something, and that’s identify ourselves as the body and mind. As a result of this identification we then perceive ourselves as separate from everything that is not our body or mind. Perceiving ourselves as separate from everything else we then desire some things and abhor others. By that very act of identification and separation we disconnect ourselves from what is most essential to our well being and happiness. Rather than looking to fulfil our desires, meditation aims to undo the initial act of identification and separation, restoring us to a position of prior happiness, wholeness and well being.
Our true nature is consciousness, experiences arise within consciousness. Your body and its senses, the mind and its thoughts arise within consciousness. What you, as consciousness, have done is identify with the experience of the body, its senses, the mind and its content. The body and mind, by themselves, are not and cannot be love or happiness, however, you, as consciousness, can be, and indeed are.
Identifying yourself as the body and mind you have separated yourself from what is unchanging, infinite and everlasting. You have assumed yourself to be something that is limited and temporary. It’s as if you’re clinging to a raft that’s sinking, and no matter how pretty you make the raft soon it’s going to sink. Likewise, no matter what you do with your body one day it’s going to sink back into the earth. Not a happy destiny! You may console yourself with ideas about the afterlife, but if you realise that the body and mind are only temporary experiences within consciousness, then you won’t need to be so concerned about their destiny.
All experiences arise within consciousness; all you have done, and are doing in each moment, is identify yourself as one of those experiences. From my position it’s as ridiculous as someone experiencing a banana, and from that moment on, assuming themselves to be the banana. But that is what you’ve done, except you experienced a body-mind and from that moment on assumed yourself to be the body-mind.
Our primary desire is to be loved and be happy. All lesser, secondary desires are simply modifications of this primary desire. Even if you’re not presently aware of this, a few moments thought should enable you to see that the desires for money, power, status, etc. are merely poor substitutes for love and happiness. Imagine you were totally, absolutely loved and happy, what would become of all your desires? Wouldn’t you simply enjoy life and its creative possibilities? Wouldn’t you be capable of great love yourself and take care of business in a compassionate and tolerant way?
All desires arise from the act of assuming ourselves to be the body-mind, when this assumption is released we can realise the desireless position of consciousness. The basic desire to be loved and be happy is fulfilled totally in the awakening of ourselves as love, as happiness, as consciousness.
As the body-mind, you desire what consciousness already is, you desire what you already are. As the body-mind you can never totally fulfil this ultimate desire, but you can realise who and what you actually are, and in that realisation, know that you already are and always were fulfilled. The fact that you assume yourself to be what you are not, luckily, never changes what you actually are.