What I Really Want

I had a reply recently regarding how to handle/deal with wants. In the specific case, I would guess it is a want that is having a large impact on the posters life. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to say that the want is a negative thing and to make the changes to move away from it but I think an explanation of where our wants come from will be useful.

A want is basically a physical object or an emotional state that we desire. In some cases we justify the want to ourselves and in others we can explain it. It is a just a deep down want that we have and don't know why. Most people will say that it's because of our society or our up bringing. You might be able to find "evidence" to support this but this is not the true cause of the want. In reality you drew those experiences to you to set up the want in this life.

I have talked briefly in the past about past lives and their impact on our current life. As you can probable see by the number of times it comes up that past lives are an important aspect of our spiritual growth and learning.

The source of wants is your past lives and karma. It might sound simple and in a way it is and in some ways it's not. We cannot want something in this life that we did not have and/or want in a previous life.

It is likely based on the number of lives we have lived that you have lived a life of privilege at some point. You would have had vast sums of money and were able to buy anything you wanted. In this life you don't have the endless resources, but your pastself is trying/wanting to live like they did previously.

Alternately, you might have been married or had a close relationship with someone, but in this life time that is not possible. You pastself would be use to having that person close, loving them and being loved by them. In this life they will strive to do the same. They will not understand the current situation or why they cannot have the love.

To deal with a want you must first recognize that it is negative to you. You must believe that the want is not good for you. Then you must realise that the want is not yours, as in it is not you in this current life that wants but the pastself. You then separate yourself from your pastself and let them go, must easier said then done.

If you are successful with the separation and release that pastself, it will no longer have a negative impact on your current life. Does that mean that your want will be gone? Not necessarily. We have many lives, and through these lives we add to our karma. If you do not clear all the past lives or get the source life time it is likely you will have to deal with that want again or a variation on it. But, it is important to understand the even though that want or situation maybe the same, the past life could be different.