May 2, 2024
It is no coincidence that the forces of desire and pleasure are so repressed in human history and present times. They are the powers that create and modify life, not only in the sexual aspect, but in various areas of human life. We know, however, that everything that is morally and religiously repressed gains greater power in our subconscious, leading to distortions such as guilt and addictions. After all, what can you do if you have a desire to eat something you shouldn’t, but still desire it anyway? What can you do if you have a sexual desire for a fetish considered incorrect by society, but still desire it? External prohibition will not stop you from feeling desire.
I see that the great confusion lies in the fact that some religious and spiritual paths disregard that desire and pleasure are part of life. In fact, pleasure is one of the purposes of human life, vital for mental, emotional, and physical health, essential for our well-being. But pleasure needs to be aligned with other purposes, without becoming the only driver of your path. Living only in pursuit of pleasure, satisfying your desires, will not fulfill your existence.
Pleasure occurs in the act of desiring, which is why I see that pleasure is the force that shapes our destiny. We are what our deepest desire is, as it is from desiring that our willpower is directed, shaping our destiny according to our thoughts, words, and actions. Therefore, I perceive that pleasure is the spiritual key that has the power to open the door to hell or heaven within us, understanding hell as a life created by our lower self and heaven as a life created by our divine self.
We need to satisfy our desires for pleasure in life, as long as they do us good and do not harm anyone, being an action free of violence. By doing so, we make our lives more joyful and gratifying. At the same time, we must study the parts within us that take pleasure in things that harm us or others, as desiring this negatively oriented pleasure will direct our destiny towards a path contrary to enlightenment. Pleasure must be managed by the conscious self, who knows what is good for you and what is most important for your path of spiritual liberation, learning to direct desire towards what contributes to your ascension.
Knowing that this is an important stage of human life, but not as important as spiritual liberation, which is the goal of life. And to achieve spiritual liberation, we must give up desire at some point. Wisely, Buddha said that desire is the cause of suffering because we suffer if we cannot achieve the desired target and we suffer if we lose it. If we can be indifferent when our pleasure is satisfied or when it is not, if this does not cause suffering, we can free ourselves.
I feel I can contribute to this topic by emphasizing that there is no harm in satisfying your desires, as long as they are wisely channeled into activities that provide pleasure without causing suffering to you and others. It is essential that these desires do not become chains that imprison us; the inability to realize them should not be a source of anguish and suffering. Desire and pleasure should be experienced with wisdom and joy, free of guilt, as it is our merit to enjoy life in this way.
