Desire works in one of two ways.
Once a particular desire is born there are only two possibilities: either desire is not fulfilled or it is fulfilled to our satisfaction.
If our desire is not fulfilled, we are agitated and annoyed. When anger takes over, frustration slips in and we feel envious. Envy makes us feel jealousy when, for instance, someone known to us or very close to us have achieved something that we were yearning for since a long time. This will cause loss of peace in our mind, hence our elders used to advice us to first deserve and then desire.
If our desire is fulfilled, then there is the emotion of elite for having what others do not have. This feel of elite makes us think we are unique and all that we got by desiring is ours. It makes us forget that the entire things in this earth belong to the Lord who created them and we are here to get some benefit out of them and pass it onto our next generations. Ultimate reality is the we do not even own this physical body of ours which we are obsessed with.
When we attain what we seek, we develop attachment towards them. this attachment makes us greedy. In an effort to fulfill the greed we often tend to take refuge in untruth and unlawfulness. Again there is loss of peace in our mind.
Now is it good or bad to desire for?
Desire is just a feeling that tells us that we are missing
something in our life. In fact desire can actually be quite a good and
necessary part of our life, for example desire for knowledge, to help others
and or for a harmonious living all positive traits to becoming the person you
were meant to be; what I consider as a divine human.
Desire is not the enemy to a happy and balanced life. It is not
a hindrance to experiencing a higher self. In fact, desire can often be the motivational
for all that greater awareness. It is not desire that is bad; it is the lack of
will to check and balance that desire which can turn a healthy emotion into a
self-destructive one. It is when desire is driven by the ego that we start to
undermine the righteousness part in our desire.
If our desires are well within the limits of Dharma (righteousness)
and if we keep a check and maintain a steady balance by asking where the limit
to our desires is, then we need not worry about its path and pace. It is okay to desire if
we make sure the “desire” that we want is in line with the person we truly want
to become. Only then can we truly find happiness and enlightenment. Happiness
does not come from having everything under the Sun but it comes from having the things that hold
upon to the Simple Truth.
Desire to me is more about emotions than feelings, emotions are subjective but feelings can be quite objective. Both subjective and objective feelings are important in our lives, it's what makes life worth living.
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