Desiring what is
The Buddha spoke about desire. He said that desire is the cause of all suffering—the root of all suffering. Desire is a very juicy word. It's got to be if has that much power that it can cause all of the suffering in the world. He didn't say most of the suffering or a lot of the suffering but all of it. Every single contraction of being is caused simply by desire. It's a very powerful force. So, it's worth looking into this thing that is responsible for all of the suffering you have ever experienced.
One very obvious thing about desire that gets overlooked is that every desire is a lie. Every desire is based on the idea that things can be different than they are, and that's just never been true. Things have never been different than they are in that moment. You can even see how this lie might come to be because things almost always are different than they were, but they just are never different than they are. They are always the way they are. So, in observing this, we start to think we can take this constantly changing "way things are" and decide how it's going to be next. That's also based on a lie. Just look in your own experience. How often has it worked? How often have things turned out exactly the way you wanted them to be? Unfortunately, every now and then it happens, so we get hooked—like with a slot machine. Every now and then we get what we desired. But it's a matter of random luck. If you desire enough things, every now and then you're going to get it right.
When people see this lie, they tend to accept the way things are. It's funny, though, acceptance often has the quality of defeat or resignation: I'll accept what is, but I don't have to like it! So, I invite you to consider another possibility. It's a strange possibility, but it's actually very wonderful in its results. And that is to actually desire what is: meet what is with that same passion that you may have had for what could be or what you think should be happening. Meet what is with that kind of passion, with that force that is able to generate all the suffering in the world. Bring that force to bear on what is—on the truth instead of on a lie.
There's another word for this: gratitude. It's different than acceptance. Acceptance is somehow lifeless; it lacks passion or juice. That's why even though people may get that things are the way they are, they often go back to the "juice" of wanting things to be different. At least in desiring there's drama, there's intensity, passion, and life—even if it does result in suffering. But there is this other possibility: actually desiring what is wholeheartedly, really truly saying yes to this moment, to what is, exactly the way it is right now, bringing that kind of passion and aliveness to the way things are. This brings instant unlimited happiness because every desire is fulfilled!
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