How to let go of desire?
 

Hii,

I’m facing a situation. I can’t find a suitable way to escape. I desire a lot. A LOT. And am constantly conscious of my desires. It disturbs me often. I can let go of resistance sometimes, but not of desire. And each time I do my desires grow. I can’t control my desires.

How do I let go of my desires? Even grief didn’t get rid of them.

Much kindness,

Cosmic Wonder

Why do you want to get rid of your desires.. What about those ' Wholesome ' desires to help yourself and others which will obviously have a knock-on effect and help Mankind.
Buddha never taught that we should abandon all desires but rather sort the Wholesome from the Unwholesome. Desires can be very beneficial but the ' Craving ' to fulfill them is what causes the problem.

'Tanhā is a term in Pali, the language of the Buddhist scriptures, that specifically means craving or misplaced desire. Buddhists recognise that there can be positive desires, such as desire for enlightenment and good wishes for others. A neutral term for such desires is chanda.'

We have Buddhism with it's Teachings because of 'Desire' the desire to help others.

Hii sky,
So what should I do with it then?
Much kindness

Rather than Post Scriptures which sometimes are confusing here's a simple down to earth Article which may help you :smile:
https://tricycle.org/magazine/desire-in-buddhism/

Sort them out :biggrin: Wholesome from Unwholesome.

Thanks sky!
Have read the article.

What kind of desires do you have?
I don't think we could tell you what to do about desires, or whether they're beneficial or not, if we don't know what it's about.

I disagree with the idea we need to name our desires unwholesome and wholesome. Who would tell us which are which and why should we listen to others? All of the answers are within us. The only desires that are bad are ones that harm yourself or others. If your desires don't harm yourself or others, follow them. They bring us pleasure and joy!

If fact, desire for pleasure is what brings us to discover our true nature and the divine. Life after life we refine the way we seek pleasure and refine the things we find pleasure in. So desire and pleasure are good things. They get a bad name because some may seek pleasure in ways that harm others or themselves. And it's true one should be careful and be aware if one is harming oneself or another through some desires. If we are, we should give up these desires.

The best way to give up a bad habit or desire or pleasure, one that is harming oneself or others, is to notice when such things are present, then direct your attention onto something else.

You don't have to listen to others but if someone asks a question in a Buddhist Section then you will get a Buddhist Teaching as an answer :smile: You yourself used ' Bad ' for some habits Buddha used ' Unwholesome .. '

Does that same analogy apply in the Christian Section?