Desires and Fears
Desires reflect dissatisfaction
in not getting what you want, or getting what you don't want.
Fears compliment our desires, and add to our discomfort.
Ordinary experience is frequently unsatisfactory.
According to one Zen teacher, all living beings desire:
To eat, to keep the physical body,
To generate, to keep the race,
To be beautiful,
To be strong,
To be known and acknowledged.
Being beautiful and strong facilitates
getting food and sex
and contributes to becoming known and acknowledged.
Desires can be beneficial,
but many desires reflect delusions
that can be harmful.
The desire to eat and the desire for sex
reach beyond one's needs and possibilities
which creates further individuals' problems.
Desires may fade with age and wisdom.
but still must be addressed
particularly when unsatisfied.
Meeting oneself, turning one's eyes around,
knowing one's mind and its relationships
being known and acknowledged to oneself.
The human desire to awaken may be satisfied.
Social Desire
Mother Theresa's Prayer on Desire, and Fear
Back to Mind and Meditation