2 Jul 2021 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
The Sanskrit word tṛ́ṣṇā means thirst. The pali equivalent of tṛ́ṣṇā is Taṇhā. Lord Gautam Buddha has used this word in his teaching. He says that kamana or desire is the cause of suffering. To get rid of desire, one has to annihilate one’s desires.
Any individual, society, state, or country cannot prosper and progress without desire. Satisfaction with what little one has is the enemy in one’s progress. Dissatisfaction with the existing conditions with a simultaneous desire for more and more is the key to progress. This principle has been accepted in economics and political science. It is the general observation that individuals acquire more and more fame and more and more all-around prosperity through incessant desire and continuous striving for material property is feasible without desire and struggle to achieve more and more.
Materialistically speaking, the sky is the limit to progress. Some very successful materialistic stride one step farther, they piece the sky and go beyond it in their limitless search for further acquisition and achievement. The materialistic viewpoints have been tested and retested in all countries and all ages. How do we reconcile with Buddha’s teaching then?
Darwinian motto
Darwinism is atheistic, materialistic, and anti-spiritual. `The struggle for existence and survival of the fittest is a key principle in Darwinism. This principle applies not only to human beings but also to all plants and animals. It also includes viruses, bacteria, protozoa, algae, and fungi. That is a well-tested, sound principle the materialistic level cannot be denied. Inaction is anathema to struggle. Complete or partial inaction is involved in a lack of desire. Hence, analytically speaking, Buddha’s teachings on the annihilation of desire (Kamana-vinyasa) and Darwinism cannot go together.
Three types of desires
There is no life without actions. Actions germinate in desires. Hence a desire-less, action-less life is not pleaded for. Only sannyasis (ones who have renunciate the world) cease to act. And they too do not stop their daily actions, inevitable for living. Inaction is to be condemned for householders, businesses –men, farmers, fighters, administrators, statesmen, and all others who have to perform their duties. The Gita proscribes inaction.
The Vedas and the Upanishad declare that, before the creation, God desired the creation of the universe. Although he has no unfulfilled desire and no want at all. He, for his sportive play, desired to create a universe. He had designed a blueprint of the universe before he created it, engineered the design, and continued to do so. His artistic hand creates the art of canvas of the cosmos. Whatever God does is executed through the agency of the divine mother, the consort and power of God. He becomes the chairperson of the creation, evolution, involution, and dissolution of the universe. If this is the case with God Himself, there is no question of the abandonment of desires and activity for men.
There are three types of desires: sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika. Mahatma Gandhi desired India’s freedom. A benevolent person desires to open a school and a hospital for poor people. A yogi has a strong desire to liberate himself. These are examples of sattvika desires. A politician desires to become Prime Minister. A reputed writer desires to win the Nobel Prize. A businessman desires to become a multimillionaire. These are examples of rajasika desires. A perverted person desires to indulge in sex with many beautiful women. A notorious criminal desires to murder the Prime Minister of a country. A terrorist desires to commit genocide in a village of a certain community. These are examples of tamasika desires.
If we prohibit desire, it becomes difficult or impossible for an individual or society to live meaningfully. A life without purpose is no life at all, and a life without desires is hard to imagine. Therefore, desires should not be condemned without a thorough analysis of their merits and demerits. We should condemn Tamasika, desires. And of course we should recommend sattvika desires. We should critically examine Rajasika’s desires to decide whether to adopt or reject them.