Stress is a disease of 21st century. Everyone seems to be in stress- from child to a retiree. The only time you are free from stress is when you are inactive. So you look for long weekends and holidays to escape from stress. The moment activity begins mental agitation returns. Vedanta speaks of your birthright as a human being to combine dynamic activity with perfect serenity of mind. Then perfect action emerges. You are successful and happy.
What disturbs the mind? You believe a bad boss, nagging spouse or the weather causes you grief. The truth is that nothing in the world can disturb you except yourself. Stress is defined as mental turbulence caused by unfulfilled desires. As long as a desire remains unactualised you will be in stress. Yet desire is being recklessly fueled and people are in stress.
Unbridled desire makes you unhappy. When desire is fulfilled you want more and the greed leads to defussion. Fulfilled still further, you are envious of those who have more then you and arrogant towards those who have less. If desire is obstructed the thought flow going from you to the object of desire gets deflected towards the obstruction. This is called anger. All this creates a lot of misery and tension.
Unrestrained desire prevents enjoyment. A person obsessed with money can never enjoy his money. He has the best that money can buy but he is so stressed that he doesn't enjoy any of it. Desire puts you on a collision course with others which prevents you from having meaningful relationships. And desires forces you to compromise your values. When you cross the line set by your own conscience you become a slave of your own weaknesses.
Rampant desires unsettles the mind. The mind rambles to the past and future, unable to concentrate on the present. This leads to failure. When the intellect holds the mind on the present action without allowing it to meander to past worries or future anxieties you are concentrating.The moment a desire is fulfilled your attention shifts to something else you do not have. Thus you no longer enjoy what you have. Lastly, the mind gets attached to what you have. The Law is - attach you lose, detach you gain. Possess and enjoy the world but never get bound to it. Wherever there is attachment the interaction becomes painful and in the end you lose the object. Hence desire is your greatest enemy. Yet this very enemy you pamper, nourish and encourage.
Vedanta says desire obstructs your gaining the object of desire. A person obsessed with marriage finds it difficult to find a partner. A man lusting after money does not gain it. When you rise above desire and work for something beyond, the object of desire comes to you. Then you can enjoy it thoroughly with a calm mind.
So what is the way out? The first step is to manage desire with intellect. If the intellect approves, go ahead and fulfill the desire without fear or guilt. But if the intellect vetoes it, keep away. This gives relief. The next step is desire reduction by upgrading desires. Pick up a higher desire. The lower one drops. Finally, when the lure of the Infinite grips you, all desires vanish.
You are in Bliss.
What disturbs the mind? You believe a bad boss, nagging spouse or the weather causes you grief. The truth is that nothing in the world can disturb you except yourself. Stress is defined as mental turbulence caused by unfulfilled desires. As long as a desire remains unactualised you will be in stress. Yet desire is being recklessly fueled and people are in stress.
Unbridled desire makes you unhappy. When desire is fulfilled you want more and the greed leads to defussion. Fulfilled still further, you are envious of those who have more then you and arrogant towards those who have less. If desire is obstructed the thought flow going from you to the object of desire gets deflected towards the obstruction. This is called anger. All this creates a lot of misery and tension.
Unrestrained desire prevents enjoyment. A person obsessed with money can never enjoy his money. He has the best that money can buy but he is so stressed that he doesn't enjoy any of it. Desire puts you on a collision course with others which prevents you from having meaningful relationships. And desires forces you to compromise your values. When you cross the line set by your own conscience you become a slave of your own weaknesses.
Rampant desires unsettles the mind. The mind rambles to the past and future, unable to concentrate on the present. This leads to failure. When the intellect holds the mind on the present action without allowing it to meander to past worries or future anxieties you are concentrating.The moment a desire is fulfilled your attention shifts to something else you do not have. Thus you no longer enjoy what you have. Lastly, the mind gets attached to what you have. The Law is - attach you lose, detach you gain. Possess and enjoy the world but never get bound to it. Wherever there is attachment the interaction becomes painful and in the end you lose the object. Hence desire is your greatest enemy. Yet this very enemy you pamper, nourish and encourage.
Vedanta says desire obstructs your gaining the object of desire. A person obsessed with marriage finds it difficult to find a partner. A man lusting after money does not gain it. When you rise above desire and work for something beyond, the object of desire comes to you. Then you can enjoy it thoroughly with a calm mind.
So what is the way out? The first step is to manage desire with intellect. If the intellect approves, go ahead and fulfill the desire without fear or guilt. But if the intellect vetoes it, keep away. This gives relief. The next step is desire reduction by upgrading desires. Pick up a higher desire. The lower one drops. Finally, when the lure of the Infinite grips you, all desires vanish.
You are in Bliss.
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