The Lesson: Sacrifice of Desires!
Yes I am an ordinary man trying to walk the path of अध्यात्म, trying to follow the footsteps of many great ones, I have not had the honor to meet. But have been blessed with the guidance of a divine soul, my guide and mentor, Shri Vimal Ji.
The Teaching:
His latest lecture focused on the profound concept of sacrifice—specifically, the sacrifice of Desire. Yes, the glorified desire. He guided us through how letting go can bring a sense of liberation. But why, you might ask? He explained that when we relinquish the expectations we place on the outcomes of our actions, we free ourselves from the anxiety about the future. This newfound freedom allows us to channel our energy into the present moment, enabling us to focus more effectively on the task at hand. We explored how these expectations—whether of success or failure—trap us in a cycle of disappointment. We constantly set ourselves up with expectations, like being on time, meeting the right people, wearing the perfect outfit, or getting the most out of an experience. However, these expectations are tied to external factors beyond our control, and inevitably, many of them will not unfold as we hope. As these expectations begin to crumble, we experience a sense of loss and despair, which diminishes our ability to succeed in the future. This creates a vicious cycle, all stemming from our own Desire to succeed in everything we do.
The Experience:
If you thought this journey would be easy, you are far from reality. From the moment we’re born, we are conditioned to either dwell on the regrets of the past or obsess over plans for the future. And here I am, attempting to let it all go. Yes, those plans for the future are nothing more than your desires about how things should be, and your regrets from the past are merely the echoes of unfulfilled desires. And I, for one, am an expert in this. Life’s challenges, setbacks, and failures have turned me into a master of living in the shadow of past disappointments, constantly fearing that history will repeat itself. I’ll admit, it’s burdensome at times—it feels as though I’m carrying a weight in my mind that never lifts. So, I took the advice of my mentor and decided to give it up. But little did I know, I was in for an unexpected turn. Freedom—true freedom—felt strange. The discomfort of emptiness set in. Yes, you read that right. I had grown so accustomed to the weight of worry and regret that now, without it, I felt oddly unsettled. I would take long walks, lost in thoughts of what my future success should look like, or imagining how different my life would be if I had made different choices in the past. These stories had been my constant companions for years, and now, without them, I felt a void. I found myself not wanting to walk, but somehow, I still did.
Since I no longer wanted to live in my past regrets or future fantasies, I realized I had to let go of the desires that fueled them. But that left me with an emptiness, a sense of discomfort that my mind couldn’t tolerate. It tried desperately to create new stories, new hopes for the future, but I kept telling it, “No. Stay still. Let go.” And for once, I wasn’t going to listen to all those “Internet Gurus” telling me to keep imagining my desires until they manifested. This wasn’t about fantasizing; it was about giving it up.It’s still early in this journey, but every day brings a reminder: I don’t need to live in those stories anymore—not the ones about the past, and certainly not the ones about the future. And slowly, the change began to take hold. In just a few days, my mind felt still, as though it had been reborn. The constant grip of hatred toward past events faded—not entirely, but significantly. There is now so much more space in my mind, space I didn’t know existed. When my mind drifts back to future fantasies, I simply tell it to “shut it down.” It might resist like an angry child, but eventually, it listens. Now, I no longer look at cars and yearn for a nicer one. I’ve sacrificed that desire. I don’t imagine what it would be like to live in a grand house. That desire, too, has been sacrificed. I no longer crave greater success or wealth. It’s as if the weight has been lifted, and what’s left is a quiet, empty space—a space where I can simply be, free from the burden of endless wanting. I have sacrificed so much only to gain many folds in return.
