Teachings
From Desire to Desirelessness (Part 7)
How to Become Free from Desire
Prayer and discrimination: Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi advocates prayer to God for desirelessness; she says that desire is the obstacle to liberation. Prayer can transform our mind if it is done sincerely, without hypocrisy. Persistent prayer can wean our mind from sense enjoyment. Along with prayer Sri Ramakrishna stresses the importance of discrimination: "You must practise discrimination. 'Woman and gold' is impermanent. God is the only Eternal Substance. What does a man get with money? Food, clothes and a dwelling-place-nothing more. You cannot realize God with its help. Therefore money can never be the goal of life. That is the process of discrimination. Consider-what is there in money or in a beautiful body? Discriminate and you will find that even the body of a beautiful woman consists of bones, flesh, fat, and other disagreeable things. Why should a man give up God and direct his attention to such things? Why should a man forget God for their sake?"
When someone asked what is discrimination, Sri Ramakrishna explained: "Discrimination is the reasoning by which one knows that God alone is real and all else is unreal. Real means eternal, and unreal means impermanent. He who has acquired discrimination knows that God is the only Substance and all else is non- existent. With the awakening of this spirit of discrimination a man wants to know God. On the contrary, if a man loves the unreal-such things as creature comforts, name, fame, and wealth-then he doesn't want to know God, who is of the very nature of Reality. Through discrimination between the Real and the unreal one seeks to know God."
Giving a different turn to the mind: When his disciple Hari (later Swami Turiyananda) asked Sri Ramakrishna how to conquer lust, the Master said to his surprise, "Why should it go, my boy? Give it a turn in another direction. What is lust? It is the desire to get. So desire to get God and strengthen this desire greatly." Sri Ramakrishna elaborates on this teaching: "Instead of desiring worldly pleasures, desire God. Have intercourse with Brahman. If you cannot get rid of anger, then change its direction.If you cannot get rid of temptation, direct it toward God. Be infatuated with God's beauty. If you cannot get rid of pride, then be proud to say that you are the servant of God, you are the child of God. Thus turn the six passions toward God."
Patanjali advocates cultivation of a contrary, wholesome thought to counteract an undesirable thought. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, merely shouting about darkness will not dispel it; only bringing in light will.
Selfless work: According to the Bhagavata (11.20.7), Karma yoga, the path of selfless work, is a discipline primarily meant for those who have desires and have yet to develop dispassion for the fruits of their work. Karma yoga is the inevitable first step for purification of mind. Performing our work as worship of God, who dwells in us as our true Self, and serving others without expectation of return- these disciplines can greatly help us strengthen our will, reduce our desires, and awaken in us longing to break free from the hold of the mind and the senses.
To summarize, enjoyment of desires in consonance with dharma is acceptable for living a righteous life in the world. But if our goal is God-realization, we have to diligently struggle for freedom from desire. Desirelessness, in fact, is synonymous with God-realization; for according to Vedanta a knower of Brahman becomes one with Brahman, and there is no second entity for him to desire. Disciplining the mind and the senses, cultivating love for God and faith in His name, regularly practicing prayer and meditation, and doing work as worship are some powerful means to secure freedom from desire.
(Concluded)