Here, the old question is: "How to achieve what we desire?" To put it another way: how do we achieve the desired reality? Notice what an interesting thing it is to use the expression "reality" in this context, in a sentence like this. What do we actually know about reality? What do we call reality?
When we come across life as it happens, we are faced with Reality. But any thought about it, is a superimposition on that Reality. This overlay is an idea, a thought, an opinion, a conclusion, a concept, a projection. Here, the word "projection," as a synonym for thought is very clear being placed in this context now, in this phrase, in this expression "how to achieve the desired reality through thought." This is how we are moving through life.
We have no awareness of life as it is. We have an idea of how it should be, how it could have been, how it would be. All of this is within this projection, this model, which is the model of thought present in everyone of us. Thus, what is the truth of this idea, this movement, this projection of thought, called desire? When do you feel desire? Either when you have a need, a real need because there is a lack, or when you have a psychological need, in the imagination of a lack.
The complexity in the human being - I refer to this psychological complexity in us - invariably places us in this second alternative. We are not dealing with real needs, but with imaginary needs. So, what we call reality, desires, are projections of thought, within supposed needs projected by the "I," by the ego.
See how we need to investigate this carefully, patiently, or we'll spend a lifetime fulfilling desires and moving from one project to the next, from one achievement to the next, without ever touching the Truth of Reality - we'll always be in the movement of thought. What is the truth about desire? The truth about desire is that you desire on the basis of an image. When you see an object, you desire it if it is beautiful, and you reject it if it produces a feeling or sensation of disgust, of rejection.
The movement of thought present in us is one of embracing, wanting more and constantly seeking more and more pleasure, and rejecting, repulsing, moving further and further away from pain. This behavior in us also has two aspects, as does the presence of desire. Desire - as we've just said - can be a need: if you're hungry, you want food; if you're thirsty, you want to drink. Drink, which is water, is what solves the issue of thirst. But you can have any other drink when you're thirsty too; that other drink is no longer the need for water, it's the psychological need for the satisfaction of pleasure - when you drink something else when you're thirsty.
So, we have this movement in us, a movement of need, of seeking to fulfill a natural, organic, physical need, or even a need for transportation. If you have to go from one city to another, you can't walk, you need a vehicle. At that point, you opt, you choose: if you want to get there faster, you go by plane. Then, it's natural to want a flight because you need a flight, and you have a timetable, so you know that on a flight your travel time is shorter.
So, we have a quality of desire based on a need and we have a quality of desire based on thought, because it is precisely in thought that we store the sensation of pleasure in that desire. When you remember something, the thought itself carries a sensation with it, and it's the thought itself that links what you remember to that sensation of pleasure that you've already felt in the past. Notice that it's always a game of thought.
The memory of the pleasure, of the sensation, is the thought. The image you see there, physically, is being touched here, psychologically, by thought. So, the sensation arises again, it's a memory, it's a recollection. For whom does this memory, this sensation arise? The answer is: for me. But what is this "me?" Who are you? A set of memories, a set of recollections, a set of sensations. Thus, we are faced with a game, which is the game of thought.
The thought says: "you - note, this you is the 'I,' it's the 'me,' which is a thought - will be happy, you will find love, you will find satisfaction, you will find fulfillment"; and what happens, in reality, is that no desire, in this psychological aspect, actually gives you an end to this psychological condition of dissatisfaction, or actually gives you the presence of Love, and Happiness. All that the movement of thought really does is to sustain its continuity by projecting itself into the future; it needs continuity, it needs projection.
So, every desire not only doesn't break with dissatisfaction, with incompleteness, but also reinforces this sense of thought even more, in this format of the "I," this "me," this ego, in search of continuity. This search for continuity, this search for more sensation, note, is the presence of suffering. Here, with you, we are investigating the truth of life at this moment, and we are also asking ourselves if it is possible, at this moment, to assume the Reality of Life as it happens, without this illusory presence of this "I," which is nothing other than thought projecting itself into one's own imagination, in an illusion of conquest, completeness, love, happiness and satisfaction, in this form of desire.
Contact with life at this moment is Joy, it's Completeness, it's Love, it's Peace, it's Happiness when thought is not present, when this projection is not there, when desire, which is this craving for more, linked to this sensation of pleasure, is no longer present. So, we are facing something new, which is present when thought is not there, since thought is the main element in all of this. Thus, can we have contact with life at this moment, but without the suffering that thought causes, due to this desire for more and more and more?
Is it possible to look at something, at someone, at a beautiful car, a beautiful house, a beautiful face, a beautiful body, something that brings back a memory, a recollection and, of course, a sensation... You see, the sensation, the memory, the recollection is of pleasure with that experience, with that object, with that given situation. But is it possible, at that moment, not to place this element, which is thought, in sensation, in pleasure, in that experience? Notice, that's the end of the past, that's the end of this element that comes from the past, which is thought.
Is it possible to stay with the sensation alone? Because without the element, which is thought, there will be no projection, no continuity of desire. Then, what we call here sensation or pleasure is not sustained. If this is not sustained, desire is not established. So, we're left with the moment, with that beautiful face, that beautiful body, that beautiful car, that beautiful house, we can see how beautiful that person on stage is singing, but there won't be envy because there won't be this element, which is thought, creating the comparison, creating this image "I could be there too, I could be someone as important, or someone as beautiful as him or her, in that place."
If the thought isn't present, we have the end of desire because we have the end of comparison, we have the end of envy, we also have the end of fear. Because when we have the presence of desire, notice, there is also hidden there the presence of fear that one day we won't achieve that fame, that one day we won't be able to get there where he or she did. You see, comparison is the basis of fear, the basis of desire. All this is sustained by creating this identity, which is the "I," here, at this instant, projecting itself onto this ambition, this envy, this desire, this fear.
Notice what an important thing we have here. The presence of desire carries fear. Furthermore, the presence of desire carries contradiction. The contradiction present in desire is the presence of suffering. When you want something and you know you can't have it, that causes you fear. When you want something you know you shouldn't have, you can't have it, because it's not ethical, because it's not moral, because it's not right, but, you see, desire is present, but so is an element in you, which is this "I," this sensor, which says: "you can't have that, because it will cause you problems." So, this state is the internal state. Then, this state is the internal state of the "I," of the ego, in contradiction. You see, in desire we have the presence of suffering.
So, note this, when desire is present - I refer to this psychological condition of desire, not that simple, natural desire for a flight or for food when you're hungry, or even to buy a car when you have the money; I refer to conflicting desire, to desire that generates conflict, which is psychological desire - wherever there is the presence of desire, there will be conflict, because we will have present either ambition, envy, contradiction, as has been said, or fear.
Notice the problem that desire, this quality of desire that the ego knows, produces in each of us, in this "me," in this "I," desire being thought itself, thought being the "I" itself, this "me," this element that comes from the past. Here, we are with you, investigating all this, telling you that life is possible free from ego, free from the "I" and therefore free from the issue of this quality of desire where the sense of "I," where the sense of the ego, is present, being the basis for all that. An encounter with the Reality of Life at this moment is the Freedom of an answer to this instant free from the past.
Here, we are telling you that Happiness is already present when the sense of "I," of the ego, is not there, and all your contact with life is of Love, is of Peace, is of Happiness, is of Beauty because that element, which is thought, which comes from the past, which creates this psychological condition of ambition, envy, comparison, desire, is no longer present. So here, we have Divine Truth revealing itself, which is the Truth of your Being. This is the end of the past, the end of time, the end of the "I."
Thus, we're working on it together here with you in these meetings. Real Life is life free of the "I," free of the ego. Then, there is Beauty, Grace, Love, Happiness in What is You in Your Being, here and now. We have online meetings here on weekends, where we are working on this with you. Saturdays and Sundays we are together: two days in an online meeting. Apart from these meetings, we have face-to-face meetings and also retreats. If what you've just heard makes any sense to you, here's an invitation. Go ahead, leave your "like" here, subscribe to the channel and say in the comments: "Yes, that makes sense." OK? And we'll see you. Thanks for meeting us and see you next time!