● The end of the whole path and how taste the fruition ( freedom and peace that comes

with )
● We all looking for happiness in the wrong place, misdirected
● Misdirected craving and desire for happiness WRONG PLACE,we are looking in places
society and conditioning tell us to look
● Craving keeping us in samsara
● ​ aṇhā) meaning thirst, fever Of satisfy longing ( rooted in greed and
Craving root( Pali T
attachment)
● Desire can mean other things ( good frames of mind but here in this context will be used
intertwined)

Two of the field of ​CRAVING​ ​SENSE​ ​PLEASURES AND OF BECOMING

Sense pleasure
○ For sights, sounds, taste, sensations, pleasant minds tastes
○ Craving to experience all these sense objects
○ Our engagement with sense pleasures involves daily interaction with the world
○ Buddha didn't condemned but suggested ​INVESTIGATING​ ​EXPERIENCE​-
asking basic questions about this experiences
○ What is the gratification in the world??
○ [(Sutta Pali word for discourse)]
○ Whatever pleasure and joy there is in the world, that is the gratification in the
world, if there were no joy and pleasure being would not become enamoured with
it. ​We become enamoured because we gratify them.
○ So we desire and crave this pleasures- part of reality

● What is the gratifications in our lives?

○ What experiences do we glamour?
○ Wide range of intensities and frequencies
○ Mind might becomes obsessed with drugs, sex, power, wealth, comfort, love.
Alcohol- MIND BECOMES OBSESSED
○ We want to understand that fever of UNSATISFIED BELONGING ….Great part
of literature is about these universal passions ( universal driving forces)- western
culture just feeding that
○ Pay attention to the various things we crave!!!!
○ OHH this is where the craving starts to arise!!
○ Desires as really quick light passing thoughts in the mind ( INTERESTING TO
NOTICE HOW EVEN ​QUICK LIGHT THOUGHTS CAN BE DEEPLY ROOTED)
○ The power of desire very deeply rooted in mind like a primal energy
● Seemingly trivial momentarily desires throughout repetition strengthen ​to
STRONG HABITS ( going from I want this, I need this, I gotta have this)
● The mind has no pride I'll say anything, but important to have a sense of humour
● With all these patterns of craving- they are so familiar to us that it's almost invisible ( big
part of who we take ourselves to be) until we bring the power of awareness/ mindfulness
to this deeply conditioned pattern
● PAYING ​ATTENTION-Seeing​ gratification that we feel in the enjoyment so far different
sense pleasures. ( what little moments give you moments of delight/ become enamoured
of) ( cup of tea, shower, lunch?)
○ NOTICE THE PLEASURE ASSOCIATED WITH ALL THESE EXPERIENCES,
and see if there's a ​subtle level ​of craving that's in the mind for them
● We can also investigate the same conditioning in the enjoyment we have of
PLEASANT FANTASIES in the mind​ so it's not only physical pleasures.
○ We can watch the same process at work in the mind at one time or another to get
carried away by sexual fantasies, food desires, fantasies about relationships. We
might resonate with the Buddha's word when he says: “​whatever gratification
there is in the world, that I have found”-​ IMPORTANT, are you still looking for
some new hip, new taste, new sensation, new thought? OR DO WE REALIZE we
have already experienced ALL the gratification in the world, innumerable
experiences in body, mind,-- first step is to become aware
○ then seeking ​dangers in the world​ ( drawbacks of things, disadvantages),
downsides or drawbacks of gratification of the world, ….​world is
impermanent, unreliable, subject to change.
○ We are not living it because if we understood deeply we wouldn't get
attachments, we would know that whatever we get attached, CRAVING OR
DESIRE, IS GOING TO CHANGE, IMPERMANENCE and that's the downside.
● Do you have the interest and courage to ASK; when you are enjoying something, ​what
is the DOWNSIDE OF THIS, WHAT IS THE DRAWBACK?
○ Several ways of understanding drawbacks of sense pleasures
○ Become aware and Reflect on this to ​integrate​ that ​understanding​ in the
choices​ we make
○ First we can reflect on the fact that in the end sense pleasures ​DO NOT
DELIVER ON THEIR PROMISE TO HAPPINESS,​ and we are enamoured of
them because we believe they will make us happy
○ These sense pleasures come from pleasant feelings, bring a little joy, and yeah..
a little happiness comes with it but very TEMPORARY.
○ So we go chasing after illusory happiness,of sense pleasures and unless we pay
attention to the downsides ​we are just living in that forward momentum of desire
without ever coming to that place of ​completion​, to a place of real peace,
contemptment.
● [We already know this sense pleasures are not going to bring us the happiness, reflect
and honour that]
● First​ drawback is that I DOESN'T ACCOMPLISH OUR AIMS
● Second​ danger is that when craving becomes a strong obsessive force in the mind it
often ​leads to very unwholesome actions creating unwholesome karma ​which
creates suffering for us and others
 ● Lust cracks the brain we go crazy
● IT TAKES A LOT OF INTEREST AND SOMETIMES COURAGE FOR US TO SEE
DEEPLY INTO OUR HEARTS AND MIND TO SEE THESE PATTERNS WO THAT WE
ARE ​NOT GOING THROUGH​ OUR LIVES IN THE ​MOMENTUM OF HABITUAL
CONDITIONING
○ We are all been conditioned in some many different ways, some wholesome,
some unwholesome
○ Only way to becomes free is to BECOME AWARE if this is leading to a good
result or not
○ And sometime is challenging to see your own pattern this way

SECOND TYPE OF CRAVING IS MORE SUBTLE, USUALLY GOES UNNOTICED,

BUDDHA CALLED “ ​CRAVING FOR BECOMING’
● The basic urge or desire to become this or that
● One familiar pattern I the OBSESSIVE PLANNING MIND
● Imagining ourselves in a future situation and then engaging in all thoughts and
actions that will get us there
● How often we get lost in mind creation of a FUTURE SELF
● Being lot in all these thought fantasies about our future is THAT CRAVING FOR
BECOMING
● This is different for planning for things that need to be done BUT. There's a
difference about BEING ​lost in the future fantasy​ and ​being grounded in the
moment.

Another way to EXPERIENCE THIS CRAVING FOR BECOMING is noticing the many times
that ​EXPECTATION​ arises in the mind,
● One of the biggest hindrances in meditation as well as in our lives is being ​caught up in
expectation. ​Expectation can be on many levels but on a more subtle and pervasive
level the expectation can be happening moment to moment- SOMETHING TO REALLY
INVESTIGATE!!
● Notice in meditation how frequently your mind is with this moment but leaning to the next
( we are in this breath in order to get to the next, or this sensation for it to become
something)
● It's a common pattern- ​As if the next moment somehow will resolve everything
forgetting that next moment is just as impermanent as this moment
● It's not going to offer any resolution to anything
● The problem with expectation brings ​agitation​ to the mind

● Aspiration​ can inspire us (aspiration to awaken, to be more compassionate), sets a

direction for us, can be beautiful and ennobling
● Expectation​ lead us to agitation of ​hope​ and ​fear
Next time you feel frustration in your practice, like some agitation in mind, unease, NOTICE
AND EXPLORE THE EXPECTATION AND CRAVING BEHIND IT..

BEGIN TO ​APPRECIATE THE FEELING OF STRUGGLE AS HELPFUL FEEDBACK

RATHER THAN A PROBLEM
● That feeling is feeling us something important, ( the struggle), ​what is telling us is that
something is going on in our experience that we are not accepting ​because if we
were accepting we wouldn't struggle
● The desire of expectation, wanting something to be different also feeds the
COMPARING MIND(​ great torment), big different in getting inspired by someone
practice or getting caught in comparing and self judgement
● We are all unfolding in our own way in our own time ( example- flowers)
● Notice craving for becoming become aware of the feeling of RUSHING
● Rushing is about being ahead of ourselves
● Liberation is all about ​letting go!!​ You can let go ​NOW​!
● Great preponderance of mental activity has to do with the past and future: reviving the
past, hoping for the future, not reviving the past, not hoping to be in the future..
○ Instead with ​insight​ seek each arising state.. Simple but not easy
● Experiment and challenge yourself, and ​come back ​with each arising state, get a taste
of freedom of this
● Try to be less, not more…. Play with that understanding
● Realized is the unconditioned, achieved is the end of craving…​ ( the nature of the
liberated mind- end of craving)
○ Practice every moment
○ Framework of understanding about what the practice is about