Varnashrama — The Four Castes of Life #301

Dharmic teachings concerning great cycles of existence — whether they be wheels of life, wheels of death, wheels of transmigration, or wheels of suffering — prove the fact that both philosophical schools and individual souls are specifically interested in knowing the inner dynamics of bondage and freedom. In Maya, or samsara, the matter of release from its limitations is not a simple one, as it also incorporates the karmas of individual souls and entire races — even up and into the realm of the ancestors. There may be wheels inside of wheels, then, all with intricate workings of their own. Since desire is generally accepted by all religions as the creator of bondage and suffering, it will benefit all seekers after true liberation to know how to deal with desire, and how to discern which methods in spiritual life and practice will be effective in removing them for good.

The presence and existence of desire on the world scene is so prevalent as to seem natural to living beings. Conscious and intelligent beings, however, do not necessarily think so. To moderate desire is best, and even to give it up completely is a viable option. To fulfill desire is good, but difficult, even impossible, without dharma. This wisdom chart shows why this is the case, and how ill-considered acts perpetrated out of selfish desire culminate in mental complexes and suffering later in life, or in other lifetimes. Soon, people are being born “the way they are” later, having no key as to why they are that way, and that they, themselves, formed themselves that way. To curtail the mind’s tendency for desire-based projection, then is the solution.