We do not know or apperceive mind (citta) resonating with the temporal body. How could we? There has never been a break whereby mind could distinguish itself unbodied. And because we do not know or apperceive mind, specifically, resonating with the temporal body, we understand desire inadequately.
Perhaps we imagine the Buddha’s notion of desire refers to lusting for something like, for example, a pizza, a BMW, or a new home. Far from it. The Buddha’s notion of desire is quite profound. And unless we can go into deep meditation we really can’t fully appreciate the Buddha’s notion of desire.
What can be said is that we have to keep in mind that foremost, desire is mind continually getting itself in phase with the temporal body (skandha) thus resonating with it so that it believes of the body, “this is mine”, “I am this”, “this is my self”.
Flipping this around, when we, as mind, are able to resonate in some degree with pure Mind more than with the temporal body, this is unyoking from a previous, intense desire for the temporal body. Such a new resonation, as when mind becomes more in phase with pure Mind, naturally produces bliss/felicity (sukha) and to some extent a direct experience of liberation from the fate of the temporal body. On the other hand, when as mind we continually desire to resonate with the body, this produces suffering and, of course, rebirth.
On this score, we can begin to appreciate the Buddha’s notion of desire and desire’s inherent danger. Desiring a pizza, a BMW, or a new home is the kind of desire that keeps us resonating with the temporal body and its subject-object world. However, such desire does nothing to turn us to even the possibility of resonating with pure Mind. It keeps us in samsara and endless suffering.
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