The desired and desireless are different and yet the same. One of the many paradoxical thinking in Eastern philosophy. Wayne Dyer puts it beautifully – the desired and desireless are like the end of the same mysterious continuum.
Desiring is wanting. Desireless is allowing. Things may start as a desire but unless one moves to allowing, the full potential and beauty of what is desired will not be realised. Wayne sights a number of example in our everyday lives. We may want to grow tomatoes, in the end we need to allow those luscious tomatoes to grow. We may want to sleep but we must allow ourselves to sleep.
Often, we get trapped in the desire or want. We get so caught up with it. A recent example in my life was the illness I am dealing with. I have been down with some viral infection (flu like) and had headaches, body pain, cough and cold for days together. The headache especially has driven me crazy. I had strong desire to get better and be done with this cold. However, until I allowed the recovery to happen, it was not going to happen, was it? I accepted that and went to bed and rested as much as I felt necessary instead of merely holding onto my desire to get well but not doing what is needed.
Things may start as a desire or a want, but one must allow it to happen. They are indeed part of the same continuum.
This also relates to my earlier post about learning. Till we are in the conscious competence, it is in desire realm. For unconscious competence to occur, we must allow. I always remind my clients to just allow insights to come and shifts will happen on their own.
I have learned from my experience that if we are too strongly wedded to our desire, we may merely see few forms of what we desire but not its full potential or power. I often use my desires as beacons and allow things to happen. It is beautiful to see mystery unfold and watch it with an open mind.
One of the ways to practise allowing is to let go. Let go of anything bitter. Try not to figure everything out analytically, let it be. When someone makes a choice to behave a certain way, let them be. Observe more and judge less. Wayne puts is well by saying desires are often because we want the world to be a certain way; these are our ‘should be’ list. Instead, just watch it the way it is.
Wayne Dyer was a wonderful author; he has left such beautiful works that can help us in our inward journey. I will be sharing some reflections on what comes to me while reading the book ‘Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life’. It is living the wisdom of the Tao. Please let me know if this is of interest. This post is first in that series.
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