“The sources of our suffering are temporary, but the source of our joy is eternal. God is ever-new joy.” Yogananda
We all face a temptation to indulge in “sterile enjoyments,” or pleasure. Now, enjoying pleasure is not at all inherently evil! Pleasure denotes that something is pleasing to the senses, like the sweet taste of ripe cherries. The problem is not pleasure in itself, but rather the absence of meaning, joy, or love in our lives, which is actually the absence of God. When we are not living from a big picture, depth, and a transcendent purpose, pleasure becomes the sought-after prize and the god of our lives. This is the formula for addiction. For example, when the pleasure of sex becomes the goal in and of itself, sex denegrates into something that is inherently selfish and people are objectified. But when sex is situated in the context of love, commitment, and deep caring, the experience of pleasure serves something larger than itself, such as beauty, joy, and the sacred, even the possibility of begetting life. Resist the temptation of making pleasure your target. Instead, make truth, beauty, and goodness the goal, and you will have an abundance of pleasing moments in your life.
Guruji,
Watch with me:
Am I making pleasure the goal
At the expense of my purpose?
