Do We Need Desires, or Was Buddha Right?

According to Buddhism, our desires are the main cause of our suffering. The satisfaction of any desire is fleeting and only leads to the emergence of new desires, the onset of a cycle of unfulfilled desires and the advent of suffering. The path to deliverance from suffering, as Buddha teaches us, is in the elimination of desires.

This is expressed in the four Noble Truths, which are the basis of many contemporary schools of Buddhism.

And in this I strongly disagree with the Buddha.

However, it is not actually known whether Buddha said such a thing or not. Buddha lived 2,500 years ago and did not write anything himself, so it is quite difficult to separate his own words from the later additions by his students and expounders.

In any case, if I myself was creating some Noble Truths, the first of them would be this:

Any Noble Truth is relative, and is true only for people at a certain level of development of consciousness.

The Teaching that getting rid of desires can save us from suffering is true only for those who are very high up (on the energy scale) – like the Buddha himself or close. For most of us, this is inaccessibly high.

From the point of view of desires, the stages of one’s development can be represented as follows:

1. At level 0 we cannot desire. This is depression, apathy, and one of the lowest levels on the energy scale. This is the suppression of desires. Here, the energy of desire is absent.
2. At level 1 we can have desires, but are not in a position to achieve them. Or we may achieve them briefly, but quickly lose what we have achieved. Fear is a typical example. The energy of desire is present, but there is so little of it that desires are rarely realized.
3. Next, we come to a level where we can set goals and achieve them. Here I do not mean logical or other abilities, but the fulfillment of desires through a strong eagerness. Or, as Castaneda penned it, through intent.
4. With the development of the ability to desire or intend, the time interval between the generation of the intent and the appearance of the desired thing in our life grows shorter. At the same time, we can desire and attract more complex and energetically powerful things into our lives.
5. At the level of some saints, the fulfillment of a desire is instantaneous. In fact, their desires are much like a command for the Universe. Thus Jesus could revive the dead.

But, simultaneously with such abilities, the responsibility for the results of our desires also grows. If any desire is fulfilled, and that desire is not of the purest standard, then a reckoning will surely follow in its wake. Here, at this level of desire, lies the danger that the Buddha spoke of. Jesus also taught us to give up any desires in His “Your will be done, not mine.” In fact, His main desire was to fulfill the will of God.

But we are still far from this level. Therefore, our task is to learn how to choose the right desire – and to reach it as quickly as possible: through the formation of the right intent.

There’s nothing esoteric in this. In my own life I have seen many times how, in business, the right desire + strong energy has led to the success of people who do not bother to think of any high matters. Such results are a question of a certain attitude. If it is right, then all mistakes made on the way turn out to be good luck or are corrected, the right people and resources appear at the right time, etc.

I also do not agree with the concept of cycles of unfulfilled desires. Yes, cycles do exist. But sooner or later we are satiated, and then new desires arise, on a new level. So the cycle turns into a spiral.

The spiral of desires rises higher and higher, and consequently requires from us higher levels of energy to achieve what we desire. And a more appropriate attitude.

As Castaneda wrote, constantly maintaining the “right” attitude (mood) is a great art and the most important thing in our life.