The Law of Diminishing Desires.

< Everyone rich poor and the miserable wants infinite pleasure and fabulous riches; this in itself is a fragile illusion. We are always in a hurry to enjoy the richness of life; no one wants to let time take its course. While the emotional drivers of our body need the desires of the senses, tradition opts for abstinence as good for the soul. There is a foolish nation that abstinence from the pleasures will liberate you instantly this promise is fundamentally flawed; many religious festivals make it compulsory to abstain from sensual pleasures and even advocate fasting. But we find that after the enforced period is over, people rush and gorge themselves in a sort of spiritual bulimia. In economics there is the “law of diminishing utility” which says that desire becomes diminished the more you consume. Like a buffet or banquet, where the first plate / helping gives immense sensual pleasure, but later as you go in for more helpings, you reach a point where even the thought of food makes you sick. Worldly goods we pursue and desires we feed; they cannot be eliminated but can certainly be satiated. In Greek tradition nothing is “excess” so the body’s desire cannot be denied due to the pursuit of the soul. Similarly the correct way to get rid of desire is to indulge in it excessively, including material, sensual & carnal desires, almost to the point of satiation, then you can transcend to the next level. However there is no crash course it grows in time as you go through all the phases of worldly life and reach a point of satiation over a period of time. Possessions possess us; lust burdens the old, infirm and religious. None of us has time to live the true dramas of the life that we are destined for. This is what ages us – this and nothing else. The wrinkles and creases on our faces are the registration of the great passions, vices, insights that called on us; but we were in a mighty hurry to attain nirvana So paradoxically liberation comes from indulgence rather than abstinence. So give in to your worldly desire, material, sensual and carnal to be free from craving. Celebrate life not abstain from it.-Vinay-