Hello Desire

Of all the wisdom that flows from Buddhism out into the western world, the statement that seems to cause the most...concern is simply this: desire is the cause of suffering.

Here's the thing. In the western world, the word desire is synonymous with passion, with striving, with something that is positive. We're told, for example, that having desire is essential to achieving a goal; particularly one that requires a great deal of dedicated and persistence -- such as becoming a professional dancer, athlete or something that requires, well, desire.

So when many of us hear that statement "desire is the source of suffering" we tend to...well, wish that Buddhists wouldn't say this, because it just seems to opposed to what we believe -- and indeed, have experienced -- to be true.

Now, I'm not claiming to be any kind of authority on Buddhism, but I will respectfully suggest a re-interpretation of this that may be of value to western eyes and hearts.

It's this: I feel that Buddha's observation that "desire is the source of suffering" could just as easily be updated to say that all leaving of the present moment is suffering, and desire is the "way out" of the present moment.

To "desire" therefore has nothing to do with goals or striving or passion or anything else. It has to do with a relationship to the present moment.

When people leave the present moment -- when they lunge into the past or leap towards the future -- they simply remove themselves from the "space" where peace exists.

It's kind of like if you're hungry -- you may go to a restaurant. You are, therefore, in the "right place" to satisfy that hunger. But if you go somewhere else where there is no food for sale -- say, if you go to the middle of a park and sit on the grass and wait -- then where you are is not "wrong" in any spiritual or ethical sense, but practically speaking, you simply cannot satisfy your hunger because you aren't in the right place to do that.

When you desire something else you leave the present moment. You may desire something good, or you may desire something bad. You may desire something to change, or you may desire something not to change. The bottom-line is the same: the desiring functions as a filter -- a screen -- between you and the only reality that you actually have: the present moment.

So the next time you hear the phrase "alldesire is the source of suffering," consider re-interpreting it -- and modernizing it -- to be: "all leaving the present moment is suffering, and desiring is the way to leave the present moment."

By all means, have goals. But don't trade your present reality for them. Because the present is all you have. Don't give away all you have for nothing. That's not mere suffering, that's kind of silly, too :)