Life without desire?

If we can make the decision to rejoice in the mind above all its contents,
To rejoice in being alive, in being able to perceive a world,
Above any particular things that we might have or want
- and make that commitment solid,
Then we are ready to live without desire.

This is Buddhas middle path. The issue for us is if we do not attend to our desires and we remain sitting through all eventualities then don't we just fade away.

In place of desire we have "compassion". Thus we think, "my body is dying without food, I should feed it". This is the same thought we might have for another person who is starving. And so deliberate intention and awareness take over from impulses and desires.

But I stress again this is only possible once we have made the full committment to stay seated! If you try and do both as I have done you get completely messed up and you suffer doubly!

So we developed a seated posture in our hearts, and we act outwardly through compassion.

We do not enforce either seated nor compassion though. If we have strong desires and we wish to rise then so be it! If we doubt whether to rise then we must make the decision, but leave morality and social convention out of it because attendance to these will only give us social acceptance - which is at best only favourable.

To rise or not rise that is the question. And the answer is urgent!