When I met my friend-mentor for the time, I sensed he was looking to gift a blessing to my husband and me. He glanced at us for a while (perhaps reading our minds) and said, “I don’t see anything on your (wish) list.”

A Blessing

There indeed was and still is nothing on my wish list. It is a blessing because our desires trigger rebirth and bring us back to this planet. According to the scriptures and my spiritual experiences, we reincarnate because of our wants.

The moment we become free from desires, we become liberated or emancipated.

Note: Not having desires isn’t the same as having a long wishlist and doing nothing about it. The latter is called laziness, which causes double the trouble. Not only will your desires cause rebirth, but you will convert one lifetime into ten by not working on them. As per the law of Nature, you will keep taking rebirths until you drop your desire or feel their fulfillment.

The Flip-side

There are always two sides to a coin; the same applies to the desire-less mindset. Desires fuel action, and without them, individuals lack the incentive to work.

The no-desire state of mind triggers boredom, making our spiritual growth futile because we spiral back into negativity. For this reason, Sri Krishna advocated Karma Yoga, doing our duties without complaining, as a prerequisite on the path of spirituality.

Traditionally, spiritual masters would only allow their disciples to progress with Sadhana or spiritual austerities once they had mastered Karma Yoga.

Pursuing a cause/purpose or Seva (selfless service) is also encouraged for individuals serious about spirituality. Without these, we will climb up the spiritual ladder ten steps only to fall back nine.

Retain One Flower

There was once a tradition in Sanatana Dharma (SD), which many orthodox households follow even today. We would offer flowers to the divine. Then, upon completing the prayer service, we would take one small flower from that pile to keep with us.

Flowers denote Vaasana, a term that has two meanings in Sanskrit: fragrance and unfulfilled desires. Per that ritual, we offer all of our desires at the feet of the divine, and then we take one back — some purpose or cause — to keep our life moving.

I chose Seva, or selfless service, as that one flower I retained with myself to keep my life running.

What is that one flower you would keep as a motivator if you were to give up all of your desires?

Strive to identify that one flower and then align all your life decisions towards it. Doing this exercise will help you make better-informed decisions about your future.

Love,
Sri Devi Om