Tara Brach Desire and Addiction: Voices of Longing Calling You Home, Part 1
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Sep 12, 2025 Desire is a powerful force that can lead to suffering when unmet. The discussion delves into how our 'wanting mind' distracts us from authenticity and joy. Listeners are guided in recognizing how craving often stems from deeper needs for love and belonging. Mindfulness practices, like RAIN, are introduced to help soften the grip of longing. Through self-acceptance and curiosity, the talk emphasizes that the fulfillment we seek may already exist within us.
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Desire Is Natural Yet Can Narrow Into Suffering
- Desire is intrinsic and necessary; it fuels life and connection rather than being inherently wrong.
- Suffering arises when desire narrows into fixations that separate us from presence and wholeness.
Unmet Needs Drive Fixations On Substitutes
- Unmet early needs (like lack of secure attachment) narrow attention and amplify fixations on substitutes.
- These substitutes (food, approval, possessions) give temporary relief but not lasting happiness.
Substitutes Fail; Inner Practice Changes Baseline
- External achievements and possessions rarely raise long-term happiness; people return to a baseline without inner practice.
- Meditation and inner work can shift that baseline toward sustained contentment.
