Desire and suffering

 The Buddhist philosophy directly and squarely places the blame of suffering on desire.  It is desire that is the root of all suffering.  Take desire off the equation, all suffering also ends.  

Although it may sound too dire or exaggerated, there is a great sense of wisdom in it.  The Buddhist thought rationally helps one understand this connection between human desire and untold suffering prevalent in the world, especially in one's own personal life. Therefore Buddha's own simple path: detachment.  No desire or attachment towards anything at all - not even detachment itself!  

The greater the plans and ambitions, the greater the toil and the consequent joy (on fulfilling the plan) or suffering (at failing to live out the plan).  And the comedy of human life is such that no matter what the outcome of the plan, we don't give up desiring!!  At the most, we desire something else.  But never do we totally renounce everything!  Perhaps this counter dimension is what Arthur Schopenhauer was driving at. 

These are the most rabid thoughts playing out on my mind, as we enter a week-long string of meetings.  We have mega plans, and I personally am almost certain that we are biting more than what we can chew.  So I'm not pinning my hopes on achieving much, leave along even to convince our confreres of half of what we want them to change or plan for this academic year.  Nonetheless, there is also a sense of calmness within, that what we are doing is truly a selfless animation for the good of the province. And that it is God's work, so he's actually responsible.  If he has other plans, I'd rather be open to his plan rather than stubbornly hold on to what I hold clear and sure. 

The art of waiting...

Over the years, I have quite happily mastered to a great extent, the art of waiting... for long! Knowing that a task is delayed is one thing. Not knowing when at all it will ever be completed is another! 

And what better place to practice waiting than at an Indian government office! Of course, hospitals also offer a good practice ground, but nothing beats a government office and officials. 

From another perspective, I think deadlines - or rather an obsession with deadlines - do play a big role in the process of mastering the art of waiting. Once you take out the deadline issue out of the equation, then it is another ball game altogether.  

Like Buddha taking out 'desire' from the world to end all sorrow and suffering! 

Irrationality

In the preamble of the book on Irrationality (by Justin Smith)...

At the individual level irrationality manifests itself as dreams, emotion, passion, desire, affect, enhanced by drugs, alcohol, meditation; at the social level it is expressed as religion, mysticism, storytelling, conspiracy theory, sports fandom, rioting, rhetoric, mass demonstrations, sexuality when it bursts out of its prescribed roles, music when it breaks away from the notes on the sheet and takes on a life of its own.

Perfect recipe for speaking of Romanticism! 

Addiction and spirituality

While preparing a paper on 'Addiction and desires', I was suggested this particular book by one priest.  I read quite a few academic and psychological articles and then read this book, written by a psychologist but with a heavy spiritual bent. Reading this book was a real 'confusion'!  It turned all what I read earlier, on its head. I redid my paper. However, (unfortunately) could not include the spiritual element and that was a real struggle.  The concept is basically based on spirituality.  The name of the book is Addiction and Grace by Gerald May.

The basic premise of the book is that each of us has an inborn desire for God.  Irrespective of whether we are conscious or not, name it so or otherwise, seek it through religion or other ways, this yearning is inescapable.  May calls addiction, the "most powerful psychic enemy of humanity's desire for God" (p. 3).

Addiction then is what distracts us from this desire for God or seek comfortable ways of escaping from His haunting (but not enslaving) love.

Psychologically, addiction uses up desire. It is like a psychic malignancy, sucking our life energy into specific obsessions and compulsions, leaving less and less energy available for other people and other pursuits (p. 13).

Here's what I liked most...

Detachment is the word used in spiritual traditions to describe freedom of desire. Not freedom from desire, but freedom of desire.... detachment has come to be associated with coldness, austerity, and lack of passion. This is simply not true (p. 14).

The 20-60 formula

A couple of days ago, a person was sharing his experience about one of his friends.  At the end of that sharing he added, someone driven by a passionate desire to learn something new and different, even though aged 60 will behave like a 20 year old - fresh, energetic and dynamic.  Bereft of any desire to learn something, even a 20 year old will behave as a 60 year old - dehydrated and constipated!

Have to vs Want to

Perhaps the whole process of contemporary formation strategies can be summed up in this short formula:

Moving from the 'have to' mode to 'want to' mode. 

I really feel this is all that needs to be done... and of course, it is easier said than done!
Most of the students go through the grind of the various activities and events in the community as if they 'have to'. If only they would see the point and desire it themselves as to doing it for their own sake, rather than for the satisfaction of the staff or the formators.

Well, I suppose that's the challenge of being a formator.  If all of this was easy and smooth, then I guess, any Tom, Dick and Harry could have been or become a formator. 

Only seeds not the fruits

Here is a story Sateesh shared during his goodnight:

A man went to God's shop and asked what was on sale. God replied, "Anything the heart desires!" The man almost immediately asked for happiness and success. God smiled and replied, "Only seeds are sold here, not the fruits!"

Good lesson for all those who await ready-made solutions and instant use answers to all prayers and efforts.

God for Priesthood or vice-versa

Discussing in the Theodicy class this day about the goodness of God, I began clarifying the term 'good'. Using the definition given by Aristotle of good, as that which is desireable, I raised the objection: If God is not desired by anyone, will His goodness reduce? Explaining the arguments of Thomas Aquinas, I clarified the meaning of God being good and we being good, to arrive at God as the summum bonum, the best of the best! I concluded the class with this argument: Is God desired for Himself or as a means? Now this is possible only when God is seen as good. To the extent that we see God as good, to that extent we desire and crave for Him. If not He is one among the list of things we desire. My final question to the Brothers was maybe a bit too blunt but I made my point: Do you desire God as a means for Priesthood or Priesthood as a means for God?

God, as one among other desires

In my Theodicy class the other day, we were discussing the attribute of 'goodness' in reference to God. Starting with the general understanding of the word 'good' we arrived at Aristotle's definition of 'good' as something desirable. The natural question then: If I do not 'desire' God, does He become less good? Just to provoke introspection and reflection I asked the Brothers if they all could truly and sincerely say that they 'desire' God and God alone or at least, desire God above all else. Most of them did not raise their hands. A few did and after a bit of prodding, they accepted that there were too many 'ifs and buts' to confirmedly state that they 'desired' God above all else. A few, however were adamant that other desires led them to God... and of course, their reasons were nothing short of a sunday sermon!

Being passionate for God and Him alone is quite a difficult task. It does not happen all of itself. For me, frankly speaking, God is one among the other things that I desire... certainly not the top priority, nor the only desire... unfortunate but true. This is possible only when I'm willing to enter into a personal relationship with God and subsequently have an experience of Him. Mere resolutions and pietistic feelings will not really help.

Hindi serials and viewers

It's been about a week since I'm home... mostly lazing around, eating and sleeping. Besides watching the antics of my nephew, Chris, I also end up watching a couple of TV serials everyday ... not because I'm fond of them, but because practically everyone else is! One of them is as old as I... (exaggeration, but almost)! I only watch it for a week or so when I come home for my annual holidays and believe me, I can very well follow the story. It hardly moves (neither the heart nor the plot)! But something that I've noticed of practically all the hindi serials that I've scanned so far: all of them have the upper class for their theme. The plot is always around the rich families. And who is it that watches them most? Those of the lower class or the middle class! There is hardly a thing that they can relate their lives with in those serials but all the same, they would never miss even the turn of a head. The only possible explanation I can think of for this is the theory that we aspire for what we do not have, mostly to forget the fact that we never get all that we dream.

Those who have more, want more

Another lesson that I'm beginning to learn and understand slowly:
Those who grumble most are those who have been blest most!! It is only those to whom much has been given, will want more. Those who have something or little will go about life in a contented way. You give them little more and they'll treasure it. You give them something more again and again, then they will start grumbling about it sooner or later.

That's another of the lesson of the Parents' day!

From 'want' to 'want to'

A message from the celebration of the Independence day:
Most of us only 'want' but not 'want to'!