in buddhism, samudaya is the second noble truth. samudaya is the origin of suffering is attachment.
"this is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination." - wikipedia
"craving" is also the same sense as desire. "desire is a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome." "when a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take action to obtain their goal." - wikipedia
according to early buddhist scriptures, the buddha stated "that monks should 'generate desire' for the sake of fostering skillful qualities and abandoning unskillful ones." - wikipedia
aha! so, we now have a loophole. this loophole isn't so we can desire our heart out for the newest, coolest flat panel tv, but to better ourselves.
i love it when martha beck says "the longing for one specific thing leads to another, then another, then another - and then one day, quite unexpectedly, you'll realize that you are coming out of the woods into a life you love. any little desire, so long as you truly feel it, will get you started on the path toward your destiny."
martha also states that if you make desire a habit "in other words, if you spend some time each day paying kind attention to your desires - you will sooner or later experience something almost magical; the moment when your mind, led by your sense of yearning, embraces the next stop toward the best life you are capable of living. this is the moment when desire stops being just a story about what might happen and becomes a template of what will happen; the moment when "i wish" becomes "i will."
this is so incredibly powerful and that is exactly how i feel about my life now. this whole summer i spent longing to find my path in life. while i am not quite out of the woods just yet, i am well on my way and loving every second of it.
like to see what others desire? click here to check out more of the joy diet.
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25 comments:
Hi I am in Denver today and on the way out here I read Rolling Stone's Commemorative issue on Michael Jackson. One of the articles stated that Michael had a strong desire to be the most popular and best singer in the world. After the Off the Wall LP he was disappointed with the fact he did not get a grammy for best LP. He followed up with Thriller and then came the question- Now What?
this is a great post. i love your discovery of the "loop hole" and how you related your summer to this path. thanks for stopping by my blog. i always appreciate your support! xo, kaileenelise
There is that feeling truly of coming out of the woods...we think we are on the right path, the one we've chosen and at times it just doesn't feel right or it's not working out -- our desires are not being met (for whatever reason). But when we start collecting those "pebbles" as Martha calls them and you "feel" that joy coming from your desire, you are coming out of the woods...you can actually see more clearly. I'm glad that you are on your right path!
The moment when "I wish" becomes "I will" is such an exciting moment. Congratulations on the start of a successful journey.
"while i am not quite out of the woods just yet, i am well on my way and loving every second of it."
I SO am there with you!
It certainly feels like there is a whole new world opening up to us - we just have to work a little to get through the tangled undergrowth we've let grow and block our path!
This is a lovely post. I just started the Joy Diet and so I am doing 'nothing' and loving it. Following desire still feels scary to me, like permission not yet granted in all ares. I am looking forward to seeing that change. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
Wow, powerful stuff! I agree, you're well on your way!
Bravo to you for nurturing a life of deep longing... I'm sending you many blessings as you navigate your way...
I am glad to here you are on the path you desire. It is incredible when you find it.
Melita,
You have listened to that inner voice we all possess. Listening to that and acting on you're hearts desires are the path to complete happiness and you are well on your way down that path!
Kudos to you!
A powerful post, Melita! How wonderful that you are making your way out of the woods into the life you desire.
I wish will become I will. love this statement. Thanks.
I loved the bit about 'I wish' becoming 'I will'. That is so true- acknowledging your desires sort of seems to come from admitting the truth. Ok. Now I need to read the book. I read 'NOTHING' online through barnes and nobles and enjoyed it. Now must read, Truth and Desire.
This is very beautiful Melita. Thank you so much for showing how the desire chapter is connected to Buddhism. It has really made me take a deeper look at desire.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for finding that loophole! I've puzzled in private about the connection of desire to suffering, and how we can do anything useful if there is no desire and therefore no intention. Can't wait to see what you'll discover in Creativity.
I know that feeling of being on the right path, still in the woods but able to see the light that's ahead. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on desire!
Thanks for pointing out the loophole ;-)
Thank you for sharing your week of desire, it seems like you are putting one foot firmly in front of the other grounded deeply on your path. Namaste.
Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy each step on your path....
Yes, i was wondering about desire and its connection with attachments, they are somehow connected. Thanks for clearing that up, and finding that loophole!
Awesome! May you savor every step of this lovely path you're on. :)
I loved this chapter too. Thank you for sharing all those great quotes!
I teach Reiki, & before one embraces Mastery (the teaching level) the question posed: 'What is your Burning Desire for Mastery??'
that loophole :)
Bravo, you were visited with simply magnificent idea
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