Sense enjoyment is part of being human.  We eat what we enjoy.  But when does it cross the line?  Fulfilling the senses outside of what’s necessary to survival causes both happiness and misery.  When we focus on sense gratification, we adhere to the material world, where life is about “obtaining” versus “attaining,” “having” instead of “receiving,” “taking” instead of “giving” through devotion, a labor of love.  In truth, nothing is owned, nothing “ownable.”  As human beings, we owe our spirits to the universe.  As spiritual beings, we can attain bliss.

First, we must consider our actions as modes of operation.  The way we do things affects the outcome.  As we continue to do them, a pattern sets in.  Such patterns can be life-long, usually learned, habits.  We think, “habits are hard to break,” but why set ourselves up for defeat in thinking we must “break” or act in violence towards seemingly unchangeable modes of action?

Action is a product of the mind.  We think with intention to solve a problem, or receive thoughts without effort.  Consciousness works that way.  It is comprised of thoughts that can ignite bodily passions, compulsions towards non-conscious or “mindless” action.  Instead of allowing yourself to be consumed by the senses, watch thoughts happen.  Watch, but do not act.   Practice mindful action, conscious thinking.  This is divine inactivity, or meditation.  The old way will dissolve and yield clarity.

The mind can be compared to a puppy.  It wants to play, eat, sleep, chew furniture and dig holes in the backyard, but we have to coax it to rest.  In a state of rest, our motives become clear; the old “ways” disintegrate so that new patterns and connections to the world and how we experience it can emerge.