{"id":33546,"date":"2018-09-30T01:50:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-30T07:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awakening-together.org\/dev2\/?p=33546"},"modified":"2018-09-21T07:17:02","modified_gmt":"2018-09-21T13:17:02","slug":"day-250-tip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awakening-together.org\/dev2\/day-250-tip\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips from Regina ~ Day 250, NTI James 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, we looked at this quote by Nisargadatta Maharaj:<\/p>\n

The desire to find the Self will surely be fulfilled, provided you want nothing else. But\u00a0you\u00a0must be honest with yourself and really want nothing else. If in the meantime\u00a0you\u00a0want\u00a0many other things and are engaged in their pursuit, your main purpose may be delayed until you\u00a0grow wiser and cease being torn between contradictory urges.<\/p>\n

Sometimes we have strong worldly desires, and it feels like nothing short of sacrifice to let them go. We might want a loving relationship, financial security, a child or grandchild, a home of our own, a home in a dream location, retirement or something else that feels really strong for us.<\/p>\n

What are we to do with these desires? Repress them?<\/p>\n

Of course not. Repression is never helpful.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s reading recommends looking at desires with unrushed quiet clarity.<\/p>\n

What do our worldly desires represent?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve experienced very strong desires other than the desire to awaken. Sometimes, those other desires felt stronger than the desire to awaken. Sometimes, my mind whispered, \u201cWhen I get that, I will be able to devote more time to awakening.\u201d That thought made a desire feel really strong, because it became a “necessary” prerequisite to awakening.<\/p>\n

However, when I looked at any worldly desire clearly, this is what I found:<\/p>\n