desire and fear

We are bound by that which we desire as surely as we are by that which we fear. When we desire, we are made conscious of an emptiness inside ourselves. This emptiness does not exist, but rather is an illusion of our culture and conditioning. All desire stems from illusory needs, which can be satisfied from within by becoming aware of their non-existence.

This is why the antidote for desire is awareness of anicca, or the constant change inherent in all things. Without fixity, desire becomes meaningless.

Fear arises when we become aware of something which repels us. It repels us because we recognise that it exists inside of us. If we are afraid of death, it is only because death is an innate part of our existence. Each day billions of our body's cells die and are recreated anew, This is a foreign world to our conditioned consciousness.

The antidote to fear is assimilation, or acceptance. When we understand and accept our fear for what it is, we are accepting that part of ourselves that made us afraid, and we become more whole.

Awareness of dhukka, or the inherent unsatisfactoriness inherent in all things, overcomes fear because as we accept dhukka we no longer fear it. As dhukka is an integral part of ourselves and the world, we become more accepting of ourselves and the world; the travails of life no longer burden our minds.

Desire and fear are complementary; they are like vectors pulling us in opposite directions. Therefore cruel intentions may be redeemed through understanding, and peace found through acceptance of our failing.

Too often we give in and do the easy thing, when a little conflict is what we really need!