219-The desire- Buddhism in daily life

The desire


Who doesn't know it, the desire?


Imagine you really want something. I have an acquaintance who
always wants the latest iPhone. As soon as it's presented to him,
he's hooked, and as soon as he can, he orders it home.


His desire is satisfied for the time being. By the time the phone
arrives at his house, he's no longer asking for it, now he's
looking forward to it. After all, he knows he now owns an iPhone,
he doesn't have to desire it anymore.


But what about the desire, this feeling? Where does it come from,
and what happens when I own the object, where does the desire go?


Desire, after all, has to come about somehow. Why does he want
just this phone, and no other?


The simple answer is that the craving was in us before the phone
even came on the market (in fact, it always has been), so when it
is satisfied, it stays in us, much like a little internal poison
dwarf that gnaws at us when the time is right.


This desire remains in us, even if the momentary desire has been
satisfied, until the next time when the poison dwarf can make
itself felt again.


The poison dwarf is ourselves; our ego wants the new phone and
produces the desire.


The ego determines the desire, works in our head, and reports
back over and over again.


Our ego turns to the next thought after the desire is satisfied.
Until the poison dwarf appears again.


And this poison dwarf can demand something completely different
from other persons instead of a telephone, drugs, alcohol or
money, power or sex, or whatever.


So we should question where this particular desire is coming from
and how far we can tolerate this desire.


THINK ONCE BEFORE YOU GIVE, THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU ACCEPT, AND A
THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE YOU DEMAND.


- MARIE VON EBNER-ESCHENBACH - AUSTRIAN WRITER - 1830 TO 1916


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