How do you discipline your desire? Is this a good way to produce much virtue and merit?

Question

Thansk for asking. Have a great day!

Answer 1

Desires are born out of our instinctive nature. It is as if plants, cherubs and grasses are born out of earth that if unattended, uncultivated or uncultured could grow rampantly without any purpose other than that of a natural wilderness. But human intervention can turn desires into dreams and ambitions. They could feel life for life to become what it could be. Our desires when refined and purposed reside at the heart of all our purposes. It is most common in us to condemn desire by in use of our language, but the fact is it is desires that take us to place of our dreams and aspirations and then back safely home again.

Then what could be even better than desire that could be refined to purpose, enrich and fulfil life. What could be something that our desires should be sacrificed for? I see nothing. And nowhere in life have I found a place where we should be, or could be, without our desires with us in one form or the other. But desires, just like the analogy of a garden above, grown rank in weeds, if we do not take good care of, or in your world, do not discipline could cause more much harm to life than if they were not fulfilled at all. It is only human to have desires but it certainly is a merit to have desire in control and refined for better purposes.

The word merit would alternate with the word virtue is the act of refining desire is considered religiously. This is virtuous for instance not to steal or embezzle but earn one’s living through labour; it is virtuous to have patience than to vent one’s anger, or to be kind and courteous than rude or indifferent. We all have desire to express ourselves but there are various different ways for people to express themselves, and each of the way could demonstrate as how well one’s desire has been kept and used for a purpose.

Then is the disciplining of desire a good way to earn merits of character or to be virtuous in life? I think it is, but for what purpose we might like we might like to become virtuous, or earn extra merits in life? I have seen virtuous people becoming proud and pompous, people highly merited in their characters becoming rigid and non-productive - this however is not always the case, but possibilities are there.

I think the true merit for virtue lie somewhere else, somewhere beyond realms of desire, where desire at their best might eventually lead us to. I do not think that desire can be disciplined merely because we wish to do so, as our wishes are desires too, then it would be like trying to melt copper in a vassal that is also made of copper. We need some motives sublime to give our command of our earthly desires, to emancipate us from our fear, to inspire us from beyond the fulfilment of our needs, something to galvanise us along the great harmonies of existence. Then we could look ever forward into the unknown and imagine ourselves a life above all life, dream of a life not of virtue, but the virtue itself. Good heavens!!

Answer 2

You cannot discipline-desire! When your DESIRE BECOMES A REALITY YOU THEN DISCIPLINE YOURSELF while you are making that desire what you want it to be, For example; a professional wrestler

Answer 3

don't know if we'd say discipline... too negative sounding... more like playing... we like playing with our desires... we'll over indulge on purpose and we'll restrain on purpose... tires it this way and tries it that way... tires it here and tires it there... we'll experiment with them until we are graceful in our pursuit of them... is more of a long term plan for developing virtue then short term...  

Answer 4

Discipline and virtue are built on good acts.

You need to do lot of good to enjoy its fruit which gives the energy to do more good.

performance = recognition = happiness = energy = higher performance

That was my old company's motto. Worked well.

EnjOy

Answer 5

We generally have two types of desires.

One type of desire is for our self development from moral, intellectual and spiritual angle. Like scoring more marks in the examinations. Trying to learn music, trying to acquire more and more knowledge. Desiring to get good name in the society. Desire towards these areas will add to our virtue.

The other type of desire is for self aggrandisement, greediness, lust, acquiring more materialistic possession which we normally cannot, handle, preserve or maintain. Just for pride and show some people go on accumulating more and more wealth. Desire in these areas are to be controlled or disciplined. Otherwise it will ultimately lead to vices. If we have more money and if we do not know how to spend such money, we may indulge in gambling, speculation, etc.

So, it all depends on orientation of desire towards higher purposes rather than for ulterior motives.

Answer 6

Desiring itself is indiscipline and it will not stop until you

attain self-knowledge.

Nondesiring results in virtue and merit.

Answer 7

You cannot discipline desire, you can only try to understand the true nature of desire and understand the true nature of the object of that desire. By understanding these two the desire for the object will stop. Of course, there is a big difference between intellectually understanding a string of text and understanding from an experiential point of view the meaning behind that text.

"Don't confuse the moon-pointing-finger for the moon"

Having the answer alone to your question will not in itself solve the problem.  

Answer 8

Desire should be regulated.  We should reward ourselves occasionally (and when deserved) by indulging desire.

Answer 9

Tough question which people have spent lifetime finding solutions.

I believe that the best way to conquer our physical desires is to acquire appropriate knowledge and experience to genuinely realize how futile these desires are in the ultimate analysis. Once we realize this, it then becomes easier to control them....... however, in order to keep them in check, we also need to develop a high degree of self-control over our own mind..... for this purpose, the prescribed route is meditation.

To be frank, my above answer is only based on what I have learned from books or other knowledgeable people...... in my own case, I have yet to experience and realize the power of true knowledge and meditation.

As to the second part of your question, I couldn't agree more with what you say....... undoubtedly, the discipline and control over our physical or worldly desires are absolutely essential to be able to steadfastly move on the virtuous and meritorious path, because our worldly desires are the greatest hurdles in our attainment of virtue and merit in life.

Thanks for a deep and important question.

Answer 10

Desires have no consciousness of their own, but ironically I have no free will if not having them to let or restrain from letting.

Answer 11

''Thanks for ANSWERING''

lol

Discipline your desire?

What I do is think about something else, distract myself.

Answer 12

First, (personally), I try to consider what the effects of my acting on a desire will be. If there will be negative effects to myself or other people, then I restrain the desire, or re-focus it on something else.

The merit of this is quite obvious: it saves both myself and others from the potential harm or negative consequences of acting on a desire without forethought.

Of course, this is not always possible; but where it is (and when I remember), it does produce 'virtues' such as peace, self-control and perhaps wisdom, to some extent.

Discipline just means guidance (basically), so guiding desires can produce good results.

Hope that's the sort of thing you were after!

Answer 13

Firstly this really isn't a philosophical question but more like the sort of guff you find in fortune cookies. Have you actually thought about the meanings of the words you have used or did they just sound good to your ears.

Disciplining desire? Desire for what? to continue living, to eat a Marmite sandwich, to kill, help others? without out greater clarity this is meaningless.

Produce much virtue and merit? how would you begin to quantify an abstract concept like virtue? how is virtue produced? very odd!!!!

I am afraid if you are going to ask real philosophic questions you will have to be a more rigourous in your use of language.

Answer 14

Good Morning, Third...

I try, though I don't always succeed, to discipline my desires. It is an exercise in personal morals, ethics and values to examine and discipline yourself in any way, especially so with desire. Desire can be the downfall of a good character. What lengths will one go to to gain the desired? What ethics will one break for a moment of desire? What moral strengths will be tossed to the wayside? Desires are momentary, they are transitory.......some are quickly and easily dealt with....I desire chocolate. No moral/ethical dilemma there...buy a candy bar...done. Others are complex, and challenge the individual, stress and strain our moral/ethical fiber. That's where the discipline should be strongest....lose the world to gain a lover? I think not, Not for me, at least.