When Desire Comes - Suddenly Quit It
यावद्वायुर्न निर्गच्छेद्भवेद्यावन्न विश्वसेत् । दृष्ट्यन्तर्लक्ष्य लक्ष्यस्य तावत्किञ्चन शाम्यति ॥
yavadvayurna nirgachhedbhavedyavanna visvaset | drshtyantarlakshya lakshyasya tavatkimchana shamyati ||
VBT Verse 49
The Sutra
"When some desire comes, consider it. Then, suddenly, quit it."
Paul Reps translation, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
Understanding
Tantra does not say "suppress desire." It says: let the desire come, look at it fully, understand it - and then suddenly, completely, quit it. Not gradually, not with effort, but instantly. The sudden dropping creates a vacuum. In that vacuum, the energy that was bound up in desire is released and becomes available for consciousness. This is alchemy - turning desire into awareness.
Original Sanskrit
यावद्वायुर्न निर्गच्छेद्भवेद्यावन्न विश्वसेत् । दृष्ट्यन्तर्लक्ष्य लक्ष्यस्य तावत्किञ्चन शाम्यति ॥
yavadvayurna nirgachhedbhavedyavanna visvaset | drshtyantarlakshya lakshyasya tavatkimchana shamyati ||
Vijnanabhairava Verse 49 (Technique 26 of 112)
How to Practice
When a desire arises - for food, comfort, distraction, anything - do not immediately act on it.
First, CONSIDER it. Look at it fully. What exactly do you want? Why? Feel the pull of it.
Let the desire build. Do not suppress it. Understand it completely.
Then, SUDDENLY - without gradual reduction - quit it. Drop it completely. Instantly.
Feel the energy that was in the desire now free-floating in your system. It has nowhere to go.
This free energy becomes consciousness. You feel more alive, more present, more aware.
The key is "suddenly." A gradual letting go does not create the same inner explosion.
Duration
Spontaneous - whenever desire arises
Best Time
Any time
Related Techniques
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