Desires

Kabbalists teach that “a thought is an upshot of a desire,” but what does this mean? Desire is the single most powerful force in reality, yet it's so subtle, so elusive. How can that be?

The truth is that the most powerful forces are often invisible. Radio waves, magnetic and electric fields, radiation, and gravity are examples of powerful forces that we only know through the phenomena they exhibit. Indeed, our best definitions don't adequately explain what a desire is. It can be a noun or a verb and has all of the qualities surrounding both. It can seemingly come from nowhere or it can be sparked by the world around us.

Desires can exhibit as emotional things that don't have a physical "look" at all, and they might also be other forms of sensations that we can't picture because they're without any visual dimension. Desires are produced from external and internal stimuli such as a train heading straight towards us on the tracks or an itchy elbow. In the former case, we are compelled to move out of the way of the train by our desire for safety; in the case of the latter, the tiny irritant creates the impulse to scratch the itch.

It's true that our desires seem to us as invisible things that fly in and out of our heads. We wonder why we get that sudden urge to do something wild and crazy. We wonder why we don't do what we think we want to do. We might spend our hard earned money to change our bad habits that stem from our desires. But wait. Where are all these desires coming from?

According to Kabbalah, desires are our spiritual DNA. We are born with a chain of millions and millions of desires. During our lifetime, we open one desire after another. In fact, our spiritual DNA spans many lifetimes, operating in us from one incarnation to another. This chain of desires has only one purpose: to bring us back to the one desire that is the purpose of all creation: the desire to return to our spiritual roots.

Desire is the essence of man, but it needs a servant to bring it fulfillment. This is where thought comes into the picture. The minute a desire is awakened, it begins to do its work where it compels a man to think. He makes all kinds of calculations which lead to some kind of action-- an action that is born out of a need to fulfill that desire. It might be going to the kitchen for a cup of coffee or a slice of chocolate cake. It might be the decision to begin a job training program to prepare for a career. Whatever the desire may be, the mind is guided by it.

Desires are constantly awakening within us and being analyzed. If the pleasure that is expected to come from filling a desire is worth the effort it requires, then the desire is acted upon. If the effort required is too great, we will discard that desire and awaken a new one. All of this usually happens at an automatic level below our consciousness, but sometimes it reaches our consciousness before the calculation is complete. This is why we sometimes do the opposite of what we believe we want.

The forces of desire which stir our thoughts and compel us to action operate our every single move. Therefore, we don't have the control we think we do. We can't control our thoughts or our desires: when we try, it's only at the expense of something else. For example, in our world, we might choose exercise over watching sports on TV, but that's not control. It's only the trading of one desire for another.

The study of Kabbalah provides us with insight into the relationship between our desires, thoughts and actions. It shows us what is fixed and what one can change. With this understanding, we open up a very narrow doorway where we can influence our desires, even if we cannot change them. If we choose to walk through this doorway, anything is possible.

There is a philosophy going around that if you desire something enough in a positive way, and you visualize it continually the universe will deliver the fruits of that desire. There are some instances depicted where a man really wants something like a new sports car and he meditates on it (don't try this!), sees it in his minds eye, tries it out in his imagination, surrounds himself with picture of it, etc; and low and behold this sports car manifests one day on the gross plane and he is able to possess the object of his desire.

Of course possessing the object of your material desire does not give you happiness. I will talk about that subject after talking about the conception of the universe as one big Kalpa Vrksa (desire) tree or Aladdin's Genie for everyone. Does the universe fulfill all your desires if the desires are strong enough?

There is an interesting word "synchronicity", which means that events which are not causally related (one event being the cause of the other) occur together by the action of some unknown (in this case the universe) factor. Sometimes we are speaking about someone else, and at the same time the person calls on the phone.

That would be an example of synchronicity. So, what is actually happening, and how to explain this through the lens of Vedic knowledge? The universe is not unconscious nor it a big genie responding to everyone's wishes, nor is it impersonal energy responding to our mental energetic radiation!

We know that behind all the universal functions there is Krishna as the creator, law giver, overseer, permitted, proprietor, universal Supersoul, individual Supersoul, etc. So, in other words "not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Also there are 33 million demigods who control the universe under Krishna's direction. So, why does it seem that when people desire things with great intensity and they meditate on the fruits of their desire, the universe responds to their desires?

Srila Prabhupada explains this nicely in a purport: And so, when the living entity is bewildered in his desires, the Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never responsible for the actions and reactions of the particular situation, which may be desired.

Being in a bewildered condition, therefore, the embodied soul identifies him with the circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary misery and happiness of life. The Lord is the constant companion of the living entity as Paramatma, or the Supersoul, and therefore He can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell the flavor of a flower by being near it.

Desire is a subtle form of conditioning for the living entity. The Lord fulfills his desire, as he deserves: Man proposes and God disposes. The individual is not, therefore, omnipotent in fulfilling his desires. The Lord, however, can fulfill all desires, and the Lord, being neutral to everyone, does not interfere with the desires of the minute independent living entities.

The key phrase in Prabhupada's purport is: "The Lord fulfills his desire as he deserves!". In other words if one is functioning under the laws of Karma one has a certain stock of good karma and a certain stock of bad karma. The good karma we can compare to a positive balance in our bank account.

When we have a strong desire to buy something, at a certain point that desire motivates us to take the money out of our bank account so that we can purchase the item. In the same way when we have a strong desire to get something in this world, Krishna as the Supersoul is aware of this, and this desire is fulfilled, if (and this is a big if) we have enough good karma in our bank account.

Now, when we take the good karma out of our karmic bank account, guess what? The amount of good karma in our karmic bank account is reduced by the amount of the withdrawal. So after some time there will be no more good karma left and we can desire till the cow jumps over the moon, but there will be no response.

Cosmic Ordering is the belief that, with the power of spiritual thinking you will be able to gain everything that your heart truly desires, simply by asking the Cosmos. By connecting with the Cosmos and expressing your deepest desires, they can actually become a reality. To assist you with this process follow the cosmic ordering guide below for some ideas on how to convey your wishes to the cosmos.

Cosmic Ordering is attributed to the New Age Movement and focuses heavily on spirituality and the power of positive thinking. Connecting with your inner-self is of great importance and plays a fundamental part in placing a cosmic order.

Although not a brand new idea, the whole idea has gained in popularity recently with many celebrities also becoming intrigued by the notion. Some famous names have actually vocalised their success stories with the rest of the world and are sincere in their belief that their success is a direct result of placing a cosmic order.

Although not difficult to comprehend, this process does require following some key principals which are invaluable in assisting you to work towards tuning into your inner-self and achieving a positive thinking process.

Firstly, actually picture what your heart truly desires. Your true wish could be something as mundane as a pay-rise or could be as spiritual as the health of someone close to you. Picture your desire and feel it. Think about it with positivity and depth.

The second key principle is extremely important and that is to ensure your order is positive, pleasant and personal to you. Placing an order for a negative, nasty or vengeful happening could backfire on you. Keep your thoughts positive and your request beneficial to you.

The next step is to actually place the order and the way in which this occurs is completely down to the individual. Some people initiate their own service at a sacred spot. Others simply write down their request on a piece of paper and wrap this around an artifact of their choice. However you choose to do this, it would be beneficial to go to a place which is quiet and brings about a spiritual glow, a happy place that is close to you heart. Some people feel that it helps to write it down and then recite the request over and over, some on a daily basis until they feel positive that change could occur.

Finally, another key factor is to actually believe in the power of the cosmos and that you will achieve success. Allow for positive thinking and disperse any negative thoughts or anxious feelings you may have about the whole procedure and whether or not it does indeed work. Just picture positive things and wait for them to transpire.

Following this cosmic ordering guide will definitely place you on the right path to achieving your hearts desire. When you truly desire something and consider yourself deserving of it and trust that the cosmos could deliver it to you, then the universe will not let you down.