DESIRE

Written By Duane Nelson


2 IDEAS FROM ME

  • The Buddhist metaphor of the hungry ghost symbolizes unhealthy desire leading to harmful addictive behavior. These beings have insatiable cravings, with small mouths and large, empty bellies, representing desires that can never be fulfilled. Hungry ghosts experience four types of suffering: insatiable hunger, self-criticism, missing joy in the moment, & a hole in the soul.

  • Healthy desire can replace unhealthy desire by cultivating compassion and wisdom through mindfulness, understanding, and freedom. Having a trusted support group is essential for lasting change.

2 QUOTES FROM SAGES

  • "Those who enter the gates of heaven are not beings who have curbed or have no passions and desires, but those who cultivated an understanding of them."—William Blake

  • "I have an illness with origins in the brain, but I also suffer from the other component of this illness. I was born with what I like to call a hole in my soul, a pain that came from the reality that I just wasn't good enough, that I wasn't deserving enough, that you weren't paying attention to me all the time, that maybe you didn't like me enough. For us addicts recovery is more than just taking a pill or maybe getting a shot. Recovery is also about the spirit, about dealing with that hole in the soul."

1 QUESTION FOR YOU TO EXPLORE

  • What steps can you take today to begin replacing unhealthy desires with healthy desires?

Namaste,

Duane Nelson

Duane Nelson

Ultrajourney Insight is an Anacortes Washington-based non-profit organization providing mindfulness & well-being services designed to ignite the adventure of a lifetime. The founder, Duane Nelson, is a writer, speaker, and teacher with four decades of parenting, wilderness, & international technology leadership. His professional insights come from chemical engineering and automation leadership at Philips, Intel, and Amazon. His adventure insights flow from ultramarathons, mountaineering, canyoneering, and adventure racing in Nepal, Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Mexico, British Columbia and Alberta.

https://ultrajourneyinsight.org
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