The Deception of Desire

Sadhguru, I desire freedom, but the more I desire it why does it seem to be less obtainable?

Generally people think freedom is physical. For most people freedom is always physical. What freedom means for most people is, “I become free from my work, my family, from all restrictions.

All that one thinks as restrictions, if all these restrictions that bind me go, I am free.” But wanting to become free also becomes bondage. The very desire is bondage. The moment you have a desire, there is a bondage.

Everything that you see, everything that you perceive through these five sense organs, one way or the other ends up as a thought process within yourself.

Suppose you see something beautiful, let’s say a beautiful car; “Oh! How beautiful it is,” is the thought. Between this thought and the desire, “Oh! I wish I had it,” before it becomes a desire, there is a certain space.

A thought is simply a natural process because the five sense organs are functioning, perceiving things constantly, so it ends up as a thought process. But it is we who unconsciously make it into a desire. Once the desire comes, there is a drive. There is a sense of incompleteness.

A desire means that you are incomplete. A desire means, “I am here. Something is there. If I reach this or get this, I am going to be total. When I reach the goal I am going to be total.” That is the basis of a desire.

At every step, desire creates an illusion: “If I get this, that is it.” Whether you really thought about it that way or not, please see this is the fundamental quality of the desire. This is a deception – you can go on desiring for your whole life.

People go on desiring even on their deathbed because the deception of desire is such that it literally seduces you to believe that the moment your desire is fulfilled, everything is going to be okay. That’s the feeling it gives you at every step. With this deception it just keeps you going all the time.

But between thought and desire there is a certain space. If one becomes aware of this space, the desire completely evaporates. Now you are sitting there. If you want to move from this place you have to consciously create a desire in your mind. “Let me go.”

Otherwise there is no urge to do anything. Just being here is enough, because it is really enough. It is really sufficient to be here. There is no need to go anywhere.