How to let go of desire?

[CosmicWonder]

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

[sky]

Originally Posted by CosmicWonder

Hii,I’m facing a situation. I can’t find a suitable way to escape. I desire a lot. A LOT....

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.

[CosmicWonder]

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

[sky]

Originally Posted by CosmicWonder

So what should I do with it then?

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

[sky]

Originally Posted by CosmicWonder

So what should I do with it then?

Sort them out Wholesome from Unwholesome.

Originally Posted by sky123

Sort them out Wholesome from Unwholesome.

i just did a quick web search and the first Buddhist web site i came to said in Buddhism "unwholesome" literally refers to a mental state where one focuses on the parts and not the whole. so when you use the term to mean" good" and "bad" or "right" and "wrong" you have misrepresented the Buddhist meaning.

to "sort out" would be defined in buddism as unwholesome perception.

[sky]

Originally Posted by AbodhiSky

i just did a quick web search and the first Buddhist web site i came to said......

Best to read Sutras/Suttas to get the whole picture.

[CosmicWonder]

Thanks sky!
Have read the article.

[Altair]

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.

[CosmicWonder]

Originally Posted by Altair

What kind of desires do you have?

I have more natural “intimate” cravings which I can’t satisfy for years (only recently I’ve had someone becoming intimate with me) if that’s ok enough for the younger ones reading.

I have more dark cravings in the sense of dying and losing everything I have because I feel helpless and there seems to be no ending to my pains.

I have more ok cravings such as desiring good food or a nice walk (I can’t walk very far because I’m limited by my mental health condition, which prohibits me to do a lot).

I have more “wholesome” cravings such as that my friends are doing well or that my mother will live long.

Such things.

Thank you.

Much kindness,

Cosmic Wonder