[wasssallx]

Hi Mark, this is a common and timeless question for the Buddha. I was confused with this one for a long time too.

I look at the whole mechanism of desire as wanting and lacking. It comes from a mindset of scarcity rather than abundance. For instance, if this homeless person constantly desires to have a place to live, saying to himself, "I want to get a job so I can rent a place so I can do this and do that. I know I should do this and stop doing that, I know I could do this, I would do that, yada,yada,yada. It all becomes an attachment to worrying and delusion.

It is the constant wishing that becomes a fantasy that is ever out of reach because he fixates on the desire to have a home rather than focusing the state of mind which would be capable of possessing, keeping, and maintaining one. Desire becomes just that.. a desire with no action. His desire devolves into a blame game full of excuses as to why he is hopelessly homeless. He needs to look first at the causes of his suffering which may be drug and alcohol abuse, physical disability, etc., etc.,etc.

Yet this is a somewhat extreme example. All our sufferings from attachment to desire are usually much more subtle than this. It is not easy, very difficult to overcome desire, especially in modern age. Peace.