I knew there was a long tradition in many religions condemning desire, but I had no idea it was still so virulent. In response to a recent post, "The Mystery of Desire," a majority of respondents seem to believe that desire was their personal enemy. Even though the post made an argument for desire being the driving force in life, commenters were disturbed about having desires. They cited Buddha, among others, as their authority for condemning desire outright. Generations of seekers have exhausted themselves trying to force a state of "detachment" from food, sex, anger, fear, and every other aspect of life as it actually is. I fully agree with responder Scott Masterton when he says, "Without desire there can be no change, only stagnation." It's a fantasy to believe that desire can be eradicated. The greatest renunciates may have given up the world, but they still desired God or enlightenment or bliss. To every person who cites Buddha or some favorite guru , I would say, You can't become a saint by imitating one. You must follow your own nature. We have examples of great spiritual figures who attained complete detachment from their desires, but consider this analogy. Mozart could hear fully scored symphonies in his head. If you or I insisted that we would only learn music the same way, we would get nowhere. Our musical abilities--and our spiritual ones--begin where they begin, not in an imagined land of Christs, Buddhas, and gurus. Guides are guides, not surrogates for life here and now. Scott goes on to make a metaphysical point: "Desire is the universe's evolutionary tool. Suffering only accompanies desire when it is accompanied by attachment and that includes the attachment to "no desires". " This is a clear-eyed statement, reflecting what we all experience. The self unfolds over a life span through growing desires, moving from infancy to adulthood. Detachment occurs naturally as childish things no longer possess any charm and the desires of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood make new claims. Finally one arrives at the mature adult who can formulate a vision of life and aspire to spiritual understanding. We can talk about how detachment is a natural progression, and on metaphysical points we can argue all we like. But to pretend that one is reaching for a desireless state makes no practical sense and can only distort healthy processes of growth, leading to immense frustration.
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