Desire, and the vital energy to which it is closely connected, are major themes of our reading this week, pages 153–164 in The Constant Companion.*
Desire for pleasure and profit are “played up everywhere” today, and Easwaran comments on both forms of “mental pollutant” at length. One painful implication is the profound impact on our children: “The desires of a society are a very important educational influence, more so even than the curricula of its schools. Nobody escapes this influence. It is, perhaps, the primary way in which we raise the next generation. And what are we teaching?”
Easwaran also leads us to see the key role played by desire in the “war within” against our selfish compulsions. In the first phase of this war, he explains, our major objective is freeing our “fighting forces” from compulsive involvement in sense consciousness.
“‘Fighting forces’ here means our vital energy, which is tied up in the countless desires, drives, urges, and anxieties of the ordinary human personality. The purpose of training the senses, which plays a central role in every major spiritual tradition, is to begin to get this riot of energy in order.”
Is there a particular situation that causes you to get speeded up or agitated? What tips does Easwaran offer in this reading that you could try out in this situation? Even if the tips don’t seem to directly apply, try them anyhow and tell us what you find.
We have been strengthening our practice of Spiritual Reading and reflecting on its benefits. This week consider how these stories help you contribute to healing the Earth.
For our spiritual treat this week, we hope you enjoy this four-minute video in which Easwaran describes the samskara of dwelling on the past and future, and how we can use the mantram to keep our mind in the present.
* For those using electronic versions of The Constant Companion with different page numbering: this week’s reading is Easwaran’s commentary on the names Giver of Wealth through The Seven-tongued. (Please note that the latest edition of our ebook is titled Names of the Lord.)