Desire and Fulfillment

One of the English translations of The Second Noble Truth of Buddha is “The cause of sorrow is desire.” A more formal translation:

"Now this ... is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination."

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), trans. Bodhi (2000), pp. 1843-47.

Many would interpret this to mean that one should refrain from the objects of desire. This concept is not exclusively Buddhist. Many Christians, Hindus, and others practice monastic lifestyles to avoid things that humans typically desire such as relationships and material things.

Having listened quite a bit to Maharaji and having practiced the know-how that he teaches for going within to try to experience inner contentment, I’ve come to a simple but amazing realization. It is not about a monastic lifestyle or a Spartan discipline. It is the understanding that the things we desire cannot completely fulfill us, and that we must find that one thing that can.

The deepest desire in a human being, for lack of better words, is to be fulfilled… to be happy. There is a part of us that cannot be fulfilled by things corporal or material or by “seeking delight here and there.” That part of ourselves can only be fulfilled by something within which brings inner contentment and peace.

Once we have achieved inner contentment, then we do not try to find it in other things. Materialism is just materialism. Family is just family. Friends are just friends. Once we have found fulfillment, we can enjoy those things for what they are because we are no longer trying to make something out of them that they are not.

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”

Aristotle

The answers are not hidden. We just need a little light to be able to see them.

Phew! I just read some blogs about Clinton vs. Obama. Between those and the debates and the political pundits on TV, I think I need a break from this election. In other news, there are corrupt governments and human rights abuses and diseases and poverty and wars being waged and more wars brewing and vast human suffering. Oh, yeah, and everyone seems to have forgot that there are STILL thousands of nuclear warheads out there.

I don't think that politics holds the answers. I don't believe that any leader figure is going to make it all better. Sure, try to sort out the best candidate and vote, but don't make more out of that then what it is.

I think that a little bit of consciousness can make a big difference in this world. Not just consciousness of the issues and problems, but consciousness of what life is made out of. Maybe if human beings woke up to what exists within them, things could become more balanced. Turning on a light can make a lot of difference when it's really dark. I'm not just talking about some flaky spiritualism or group hugging movement. I'm talking about genuinely becoming more awake and aware. Becoming more conscious.

I guess I have to start with myself.

New Hybrid Car

Well, I up and bought a Prius. Leased, actually. A 2008 Magnetic Gray Toyota Prius with option Package #6. This package adds smart key, backup camera, vehicle stability control, really good JBL sound system, Bluetooth, satellite navigation with voice control, high intensity discharge headlights, very nice leather seats, and a few other things. Really cool!

OK, so this is no high-performance car. It does not have head-jerking acceleration or road-racing steering. It certainly is no luxury car (though it has many of the amenities--see option package above). But this car is an engineering marvel. Try Googling "Hybrid Synergy Drive" and learn more. It's actually more complex than the simplistic portrayal of an electric motor supplementing an internal combustion engine. Much more complex. Read up if you’re interested.

Truth be told, greenhouse gases are a serious problem. Global warming is a reality. Politics and economics related to petroleum resources is creating a lot of death and suffering. It's easy to talk about these things at tea parties, but I as an individual want to do a little more. I want to at least reduce my energy consumption. I use energy-efficient light bulbs in my home, I only buy Energy Star compliant appliances, I don’t waste paper, and I recycle plastics. And now I drive an extremely fuel-efficient car.

When I'm on the highway surrounded by thousands of huge trucks and SUV's, I have no illusion that I'm making a big difference in reducing greenhouse gases. However, one more person buying a very fuel-efficient car may influence one or two others to do so. One person can contribute to creating more of a market for fuel-efficient cars influencing manufacturers to make and sell more of them. This is already happening. You may have read in the financial sections that Toyota is kicking butt with their hybrid cars while GM is having a hard time with little more than TV commercials promising them in the near future.

However, to my surprise, there’s no big sacrifice. Sure, I could have bought a Cadillac CTS or Acura RL and had a little more luxury and prestige, but as it turns out the Prius is actually quite fun to drive. You can watch the hybrid system status screen and see exactly when you’re using the internal combustion engine, the electric motor, or both, when you are generating electricity to the battery, and your average miles per gallon. The car is completely silent when it is running only on electricity. Even wind noise is minimal due to an extremely low drag coefficient (i.e. it’s very aerodynamic). I’m no expert on sound systems, but the JBL system creates crystal clear music with excellent thumping base. There are steering wheel controls for just about everything. The navigation is awesome. It’s pretty cool to just press a voice command button and say “Home” to have the voice-guidance system direct you home. My cell phone connects automatically via Bluetooth when I start the car allowing me to make and receive calls with the press of a button using the sound system as a speakerphone This car has a lot of goodies.

As far as prestige, there are different kinds. I’m not particularly concerned with what others think when I’m driving, but I’ve noticed a lot of heads turning especially around universities (there are many where I live) and in places like Whole Foods parking lots. People sometimes respect consciousness more than wealth. I’m all for that.