Reflect on the Dukkha of sense desires and getting carried away with them. Now it's important to clarify that, having a desire for a certain type of food is different to actually enjoying the pleasant taste of a food. That desire comes before eating. When we're actually eating, that's a different experience. It's the desire that causes us the stress long before we eat.
"I want a pizza tonight, I hope it's a good one, I hope the cheese is thick, and I hope this and that and I want, I want, I want, I want." Okay, if we never wanted pizza the whole day and pizza arrived for our meal and that was what we liked, then all of a sudden we have pleasant Vedana. And we could then eat the pizza, and enjoy the pleasantness of the pizza. And when it's done, it's done. Without desire, we don't actually need the sense desire present. We don't need the sense desire long before we eat the pizza. The pizza can be an experience of its own, which is pleasant, and it's nice. But we don't actually need the desire beforehand.
This is important. Sense desire before the experience is going to carry you into all sorts of stress levels and whatever else. It's basic Dukkha.
Ever have the occasion in retreat where you actually start dreaming of a specific food? Dreaming of what you like? Or even on day 8 dreaming what is going to happen when the bread roles come? Today is day 8, isn't it? Now I've really given one that will go into your brain for the afternoon. Yeah, what happens when we're caught up in a sense desire for a food? We lose the moment, we lose the present reality, we're gone, we're not really alive, we're in the future dreams, we're actually "dead" in the present. Last night I gave the Five Reflection talk and talked about death and how reflecting on death helps bring us back alive in the present moment. So every time we're caught in a sense desire we're actually living in the future and we're "dead" in the present. Bringing death reflection with your desires, that brings you back to living in the present.
So to reflect on the Dukkha of sense desire is one way to help balance your mind in normal life and everywhere. And also to reflect "death may come", helps us come back to the moment to experience this moment. And the classic thing with a lot of people who are caught up in sense desire is that okay, back to the pizza, I'm wanting a pizza. I'm dreaming of a pizza. I called Pizza Hut, they have the delivery details, etc. You know I'm all excited about the pizza. And then we get it out on the table, and the first bite is yummy, and then what happens? The mind goes off into something else, you know, they may be thinking of the ice cream after the pizza. So a new sense desire takes over and they don't even experience most of the pizza. They may taste it every once in awhile that it's pleasant. But, a lot of people who are caught up in sense desires, it's the excitement of the desire that feeds them. When they finally get it, great, but then poof, they don't really appreciate it, and then they put in a new sense desire into their mind and then get caught up in that. So reflect on this type of Dukkha to help let go of that type of craving.