How Uncontrolled Desire Is the Source of All Our Problems | Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab

Unless we control our desire, our problems will never cease. Therefore, anyone, whether Buddhist or non-Buddhist, who does not wish to experience problems and suffering, should learn to control their desire through training in the particular meditations presented in Buddhist teachings. That's just immaculate presentation, isn't it? It's a perfect diagnosis of our predicament, what's wrong with us. The main cause of all your own problems and suffering is our uncontrolled desire for the fulfillment of our own wishes. Now, there's a difference between understanding that and then being able to carry out the practical methods to control that desire. Of course, there's a difference, but you can't do the practical methods, they won't work if you're not utterly, utterly, 100 percent convinced that uncontrolled desire is the source of all your problems. It's so important. If we do that, if we think about, oh yeah, I can see this problem, it's all my desire that's the problem. That's a big step because it's like a it's like a basis, a platform for you to then, for us to then start building non-attachment renunciation, you know, to stop this problem permanently. So please don't feel, you know, when you hear these teachings, oh yes, here we go again, I'm being attacked and punished for all my desirous attachment. No, Buddha doesn't do that. He's just trying to say, look, come on, if you want to be happy all the time, which you do, and I do, we all want to be happy all the time, the only way to do that is to control this desire and eventually get rid of it. And the first step is acknowledging that's the problem. So that's basically what he's saying here. And then in the second two lines of the verse he's saying there's no method to abandon it without first developing renunciation. There's no method to abandon it without first developing renunciation. So all you wonderful tantrikas out there, you yogis and yoginis, okay, I include myself in this because I practice a little bit of tantra from time to time. We must take this to heart, mustn't we? Otherwise our tantric practice won't work. We mustn't be foolish and think, oh, I don't need to think about all this suffering and problems and difficulties because I've got tantra, I can transform my attachment. I can enjoy everything with a mind of bliss. That's true, maybe you can, maybe you do have renunciation, but you can't do it without renunciation. There's a critical thing to understand. We need renunciation for samsara's pleasures. Then the methods begin to work. Geshe-la says, there is no method, no method, there's no method without first developing renunciation. Renunciation is the basis. Okay, and again, you know, there's a massive difference between having a fully qualified realization of renunciation and the kind of renunciation that we have. There's many, many levels from actual spontaneous renunciation right down to where I am, for example. So we have to start where we are. We begin where we are today and say, oh, I've got a little bit of renunciation, that's good, and then tomorrow I'll get a little bit more renunciation, that's better, and the day after a little bit more, week after and so forth, building our renunciation all the time through following these amazing methods. So after the conclusion of this verse is you should apply great effort to develop and maintain pure renunciation. Okay, so we're going to be really convinced. Attachment's my problem. Renunciation is the basis for any method to overcome attachment.