Quote on Craving from Dhamma Everywhere by Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Craving is very tricky; it’s always pushing you. Whatever you think, whatever you say, whatever you do, craving is pushing you, motivating you. There are many ways for craving to come in or arise in your mind. What do you want? Sometimes you should ask yourself: What do I want? Do I want something? There’s always wanting. Because of this wanting, desire, craving, expectation (same meaning), the mind is suffering, tense, and dissatisfied.

If the mind doesn’t want anything, it is free.

You cannot get what you want. If you understand the principle that you cannot get something because you want it and that you only get what comes from conditions, cause and effect, then desire gets weaker and weaker. Craving will be less and less. Everything happens because of cause and effect, not because you want it to happen.

Actually, you only get suffering if you want something with craving.

Peace, liberation, freedom comes because you don’t want anything.

If craving disappears, this is liberation.

[Note: I shared the quote above with the group on Tuesday, February 10 and several people requested that I post it here. Also, the photo is of Sayadaw U Tejaniya at his monastery in Myanmar, which I visited recently. -walt]