People have all sorts of goals in life, whether it concerns their work, their relationships, their finances. And it is these goals that drive them.
While these matters are understandably important to the individual, these goals are a product of the ego-mind, of a person's insecurity and past life experiences. They are both the result of and the source of much unsettling emotion and frustration.
These emotions are like landmines to your practice. In walking the Buddhist or any other spiritual path, it is therefore important to find a way to incorporate these desires into one's practice so that you can address them without their becoming cravings that cause frustration and suffering.
The starting point is that for anyone walking the path, the only "goal" should be to be at peace and happy. And if we are one with our Buddha nature/the divinity within us/the child of the Universe within us, then we know that we have everything inside us that we need to be at peace and happy. We need nothing more or different than the way things are right now.
Regardless what is going around us or is being done to us, we do not let anything disturb our heart's peace and happiness, and if we are aware of something disturbing us, we say, "no," and return to the guidance of our heart. I'm not saying that these things that disturb are not important; the "trick" is to address those issues not with your mind but with you heart. See my post,"The Heart's Embrace."
It is within this context that you should consider your desires. To have desires that don't disturb your peace and happiness, that don't become cravings, include your desires in your prayers and in your imaginings. This requires great awareness and discipline; it is otherwise very easy to fall back into the control of our ego-mind, it is that strong and aggressive.
In your prayers, ask to be given the opportunity, the happenstance, to pursue your dreams while clearly stating that if they come to be, that would be great; but if they don't, that would be ok too. This expression and feeling of equanimity is critical to addressing your desire as part of prayer rather than their becoming cravings. You will need to "put some skin in the game," but you will be able to do so without getting frustrated or anxious,
Depending on the particular desire, this can be very challenging. For example, if your goal is to get a job or make some money (if currently unemployed), it's very hard saying to yourself that it's ok if it doesn't happen because that goes against everything you have been taught and feel. But if you are one with the Buddha nature within you/the child of the Universe within you, then you know you will be ok regardless, and you need to keep that foremost in your mind and heart..
Again, if you are one with the child of the Universe within you, you know you will be ok, safe, regardless what life provides because you know you have everything inside you that you need to be at peace and happy. And so there is no need that drives your desire to become a craving.
While these matters are understandably important to the individual, these goals are a product of the ego-mind, of a person's insecurity and past life experiences. They are both the result of and the source of much unsettling emotion and frustration.
These emotions are like landmines to your practice. In walking the Buddhist or any other spiritual path, it is therefore important to find a way to incorporate these desires into one's practice so that you can address them without their becoming cravings that cause frustration and suffering.
The starting point is that for anyone walking the path, the only "goal" should be to be at peace and happy. And if we are one with our Buddha nature/the divinity within us/the child of the Universe within us, then we know that we have everything inside us that we need to be at peace and happy. We need nothing more or different than the way things are right now.
Regardless what is going around us or is being done to us, we do not let anything disturb our heart's peace and happiness, and if we are aware of something disturbing us, we say, "no," and return to the guidance of our heart. I'm not saying that these things that disturb are not important; the "trick" is to address those issues not with your mind but with you heart. See my post,"The Heart's Embrace."
It is within this context that you should consider your desires. To have desires that don't disturb your peace and happiness, that don't become cravings, include your desires in your prayers and in your imaginings. This requires great awareness and discipline; it is otherwise very easy to fall back into the control of our ego-mind, it is that strong and aggressive.
In your prayers, ask to be given the opportunity, the happenstance, to pursue your dreams while clearly stating that if they come to be, that would be great; but if they don't, that would be ok too. This expression and feeling of equanimity is critical to addressing your desire as part of prayer rather than their becoming cravings. You will need to "put some skin in the game," but you will be able to do so without getting frustrated or anxious,
Depending on the particular desire, this can be very challenging. For example, if your goal is to get a job or make some money (if currently unemployed), it's very hard saying to yourself that it's ok if it doesn't happen because that goes against everything you have been taught and feel. But if you are one with the Buddha nature within you/the child of the Universe within you, then you know you will be ok regardless, and you need to keep that foremost in your mind and heart..
Again, if you are one with the child of the Universe within you, you know you will be ok, safe, regardless what life provides because you know you have everything inside you that you need to be at peace and happy. And so there is no need that drives your desire to become a craving.
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